Bad Blood
by Ivy J Knight
Summary: If history has taught The Pack one thing, it's that new kids spell trouble in Beacon Hills. Between werewolves, kitsunes, assassins and more, people are never who they seem. So when Rose arrives with a mysterious past and a family she'd "rather not talk about" questions are raised. Who and what is Rose Hunter? And more importantly, is she a friend... or foe?
1. Click

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf, nor any of its characters.

**CHAPTER ONE  
>Click<strong>

_"Sometimes when you meet someone, there's a click. I don't believe in love at first sight but I believe in that click. Recognition."  
><em>_― Anne Aguirre, Blue Diablo. _

* * *

><p><em>0500, August Fifth, Beginning of Sophomore Year.<em>

Rose's eyes opened instantly; after all that had happened, she awoke with the efficiency of something almost mechanical; ready to leap into action at any moment. She'd read somewhere that if you did something sixty six times it eventually became automatic, she supposed that was true. How many times now had she awoken at five AM now? How many times had she been forced out of bed in the early hours of the morning and told it was time to go? Certainly more than sixty six.

Yet today was different, instead of leaving her bed and surrendering to the inevitable cold, Rose lay in the warmth of her bed and the calming silence of the morning. She allowed a feeling of serenity that could only be found in early hours wash over her, and she sighed contentedly. It was going to be different this time, she could somehow sense it. Perhaps not better, perhaps not normal, but certainly different.

Still musing over this thought, Rose swung out of bed and pulled her workout gear on. Glancing at her watch, she sighed slightly as she regarded the time and date, 5:00 AM, August 5th.  
>"First day of school!" Rose enthused sarcastically looking over her shoulder at her mirror image across the room.<br>Snorting at herself, Rose rolled her eyes and silently made her way downstairs. Plugging her earphones in, she opened the front door and stepped into the bracing chill of the morning.

Out of habit more than a real need to case anything, Rose studied her surroundings; classic American-dream houses, streetlights that barely pierced the morning gloom, a few strategically placed trees that gave the street a cute "small town" feel and… her.

"Alright Beacon Hills," Rose muttered into the darkness, "Show me what you got."  
>And with that, she quickly jogged down her porch steps and ran into the unknown.<br>This was a routine trip; though it was the first time she'd made it in Beacon Hills. The jog was used as a means for Rose to get her bearings and a feel for the new town. It was a frequent practice as her Mom shuffled her around from one town to the next, to the next.  
>For the past few months, Rose had felt as if she was always in a constant state of motion: her life, her home, and her friends were constantly changing, and she was constantly adapting to new circumstances. Perhaps that was why she liked running so much; it was the only movement in her life she could control.<p>

Rose ran past the police station, the vet's clinic, her new school, the hospital and countless copies of the American middle class suburban home, before finally coming to a rest at the Beacon Hills reserve. Taking her ear buds out, she examined the woods. They had an ancient and dangerous feeling about them; Rose shuddered as she felt a shiver run down her spine. Something has _happened _here, something dangerous, something with consequence.  
>"But what?" Rose murmured wonderingly.<br>She peered curiously into the trees, and shivered again as she felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle up. Someone was _watching _her. Glancing nervously around, Rose scanned the reservation for any sign of life, but to no avail.  
>"Paranoia." She muttered to herself.<br>"Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean someone isn't after you." A nasty little voice whispered inside her head. She frowned and shook her head.  
>"Shut up." She stated aloud.<br>Shoving her ear buds back in, Rose steeled herself and ran into the reserve at full speed.

Gradually, the ominous feeling faded, and she lost herself in the rhythm of her music, her breathing and the beat of her feet hitting the ground, even her surroundings faded. All that mattered was the track, the beat, and the steady thrum of her heart.

That was until someone came up behind her at breakneck speed and overtook her.

Rose watched incredulously as a boy ran past her with ease. Frowning slightly, she sped up, and quickly felt the high that came with competition flood through her veins. If there was one thing Rose loved in this world, it was _winning._ Therefore, if there was one thing she hated, it was _losing. _She sprinted determinedly forward until she met up with the boy. He looked at her in shock, as if he was surprised someone could match him. She shot him a vicious grin and sped up, taking the lead. Pumping her arms and pushing her legs as hard as they would go, Rose ran like she'd never ran before... Yet there he was again, right beside her and gaining, with an equally competitive and resolute look on his face. Rose twisted her mouth into a determined grimace and set her eyes forward. She quickly caught up to the boy, but soon saw the sign for the end of the trail. In a sort of unspoken communication, both Rose and the boy knew the race was over at the sign, and suddenly the feeling between the two intensified. Both boy and girl pushed their bodies to best the other. Rose flexed her muscles, lengthened her stride and her fingernails dug into her palms as she tightened her fists. She was mad with a competitive hunger that she'd only experienced once or twice in her life.

The sign could only have been a hundred yards away now; Rose pushed and pushed her body until she took the slightest of leads. Filled with the satisfaction of a little bit of distance between her and her nameless competitor, Rose found the final bit of energy left within her and sprinted towards victory. As she reached the sign, Rose jumped the final step and whooped in celebration, however the exhaustion quickly overtook her glee and she fastened her hands above her head and took deep breaths, attempting to slow her erratic heartbeat.  
>"Well done." A masculine voice panted.<br>Rose turned around to face the boy and shot him a wide grin, "Thanks, you weren't so bad yourself." She replied, still slightly out of breath.  
>The boy let out a laugh and approached her. "Liam." He said, offering her his hand.<br>Rose removed her hands from her head and took his hand, "Rose." She responded, smiling at him.  
>"I gotta say, not many people can outrun me Rose, that was some great stuff." Liam complimented.<br>"Not many people can outrun me either Liam, so I gotta say that _that _was some great stuff." She quipped, repeating his line, eyes twinkling in amusement.  
>"Touché." He replied, laughing. "Where are you off to? We could cool down together." He suggested, gesturing towards the main road.<br>"I need to get home, get ready for the first day and all, but I'll walk with you until we need to go different directions." Rose answered easily, walking back in the direction of town.  
>"Sounds good to me." Liam replied.<p>

Rose looked at him out of the corner of her eye and took his features in: tanned skin, bright, baby blue eyes and dark blonde hair. Damn, this guy was _hot._ Liam looked at her in bemusement, a slight smile on his face. "Something wrong?" He questioned amusedly.  
>Rose snapped out of her stare and shot him a cheeky grin "Oh no, just making sure you haven't got any supernatural powers you were using to your advantage in the race."<br>Liam's eyes flashed with something Rose couldn't decipher, but he quickly grinned down at her "And staring's the best way to test for supernatural powers?" he asked teasingly.  
>Rose looked up at him and smirked, "Well I'm fresh out of kryptonite, so for now I'm relying purely on the power of observation." She shot back.<br>Liam laughed, "Aren't you something." He remarked.  
>"Sure am." She replied easily.<p>

"Do you go to BHHS?" She asked, quickly connecting that Liam could probably help her out on her first day.  
>"Sure do, I'm a sophomore, you're new, yeah?" He questioned, quickly scanning her face to ensure he hadn't seen her before.<br>Nope, he _definitely _would have remembered that.  
>"Sure am, just moved from Dakota." Rose explained, turning left into her street.<br>Liam turned with her and shot her a rueful grin "I know that new kid feeling. I can show you around and help you out today if you like, introduce you to a few people." he offered.  
>Rose shot him a look of gratitude, "That'd be awesome. Don't you have friends you want to catch up with though?"<br>"I have friends, but I've seen them all summer. To tell you the truth I'm a little bit sick of them." He joked.  
>Rose laughed, "Are you sure? 'Cause I'm a big girl; I can look after myself if you would rather see them. I don't mind."<br>Liam rolled his eyes at her. "Of course I'm sure. Besides I've got to size up my competition, figure out what gives you your edge." He said, elbowing her gently.  
>Rose rolled her eyes, "I knew there was an ulterior motive there. But seriously, thanks." she said gratefully.<p>

"Oh I'm not doing this out of the goodness of my heart. There's a price." Liam stated, smirking a little.  
>Rose frowned slightly, "What do you want?" she asked warily.<br>"Well, in return for my gracious services as tour guide and lifesaver, I'll require you to help me practice for lacrosse tryouts today at lunch."  
>"This is me." Rose said, stopping out the front of her house. She crossed her arms, turned to face Liam and raised a single eyebrow, "Liam, I don't know how to play lacrosse, I'll look like an idiot."<br>"That's the price you're gonna have to pay for the welcome package Rose, do you think I'm worth it?" He teased.  
>Rose looked him up and down, "Hmmm, I'm not sure… I think I'm gonna need some form of demonstration Liam." She taunted challengingly.<br>Liam raised his eyebrows in fake shock and smiled at her "Really?"  
>Rose smirked, "Oh yeah… Prove your worth buddy, I gotta make sure the goods is worth what I'm paying."<br>Liam looked down the street, then back at her. "Okay, challenge accepted. As a gesture of good faith, I'll walk you to school this morning."  
>Rose pretended to think it over, before sticking out her hand. "You've got yourself a deal Liam."<br>Liam took her hand and shook it, grinning at her. "Awesome, tell you what, give me your phone, I'll put my number in it and I'll call you when I'm out the front ready to go."  
>Rose pulled her earphones out of her phone and passed it to Liam; he quickly keyed in his number and sent himself a text from her phone. Handing it back, he smiled at her and walked away. "See you soon Rose!" He called, waving.<br>Rose laughed and climbed her porch steps, "Later Liam!"

Jogging up her steps, Rose burst into the house and quickly made her way into the kitchen.  
>"Who was the boy?" Her Mom asked, peering up over her newspaper.<br>Rose smiled, "Liam, I met him on my jog this morning. He's gonna show me around today." She said, opening the fridge and grabbing out a little tub of yoghurt.  
>"That's nice of him." Her Mother trailed off, attention returning to the newspaper.<br>Rose opened the drawer and grabbed out a teaspoon, opening her yoghurt, she ate a spoonful and replied with her mouth full, "Yeah, at least I'll have one friendly face amongst a sea of unknown today."  
>Her Mother sighed audibly, "Honey, swallow before you speak to someone." She chided.<br>Rose rolled her eyes in response. "Yes ma'am."  
>Rose then sauntered out of the kitchen and walked upstairs towards the bathroom, shovelling yoghurt in as she walked up.<p>

Quickly eating her last mouthful, Rose threw the yoghurt into the bathroom bin and started the shower. She swiftly stripped off and jumped in, sighing contentedly as the morning's sweat and grime washed off of her body. Washing her hair in record time, Rose was out in five minutes.  
>She quickly dried her long hair with the dryer and dragged her hairbrush through her hair determinedly before it was finally knot free. Chucking it into a low and still slightly wavy pony tail, Rose skipped to her bedroom and looked at the outfit she'd chosen the night before: blue skinny jeans, a thin striped black and white tee, her signature leather jacket and red chucks.<br>"You better look good." Rose warned the outfit, "Today's the day I make an impression." She explained.  
>Giggling at her own idiocy, Rose quickly pulled on the outfit and checked herself out in the mirror.<br>"Damn I look good!" She exclaimed, winking at her reflection.

Rose was stuffing her enrolment, medical and all other manner of forms required when you start a new school, when her back pocket buzzed. Slinging her backpack onto her shoulder and making her way downstairs, Rose pulled her phone out and snorted at the caller ID. Swiping right she answered the call, "The Sexy Beast is calling me is he?" She asked sarcastically.  
>"The one and only," Liam replied smugly "I'm outside, you ready to go?" he asked.<br>"Oh my god no! I still haven't done my makeup, or put my fake eyelashes on, or… Or…" Rose gushed worriedly into the phone.  
>"Um, Rose, we probably need to leave now, or soon." Liam said awkwardly.<br>Rose laughed into the receiver and kissed her Mom goodbye. "Don't stress Liam, I can totally be ready in like, another half hour?" She suggested innocently.  
>"Half an hour!" He exclaimed<br>Rose laughed again and swung open her front door, smirking down at him, she hung up. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" She called, bouncing down the steps to meet him. "Did you really think I was the false eyelashes type?" She questioned incredulously.  
>Liam snorted, "Who knows? You seemed cool this morning, but technically I've only known you for like, half an hour. You could be an axe-murderer for all I know." He said, walking in the direction of the school.<br>"It's only been half an hour, but it feels like forever!" She proclaimed dramatically.  
>Liam snorted at her idiocy. "Whatever." He dismissed.<br>Rose rolled her eyes and quickly fell in step with him. "But serioucly, touché. I don't even know your last name." She said.  
>"It's Dunbar."<br>"Mine's Hunter." She offered.

"So tell me about this lacrosse team I'm training you for this afternoon. Is it all boys?" She said, quickly steering the subject away from the mundane.  
>Liam smiled "We're pretty good, won more games than we've lost which is a good sign I guess. We've got one girl on our team, why do you ask?"<br>"Just wondering, you know, if I watch the tryouts today I'm hoping there's gonna be at least a little bit of eye candy for me to look at." She teased, pushing him slightly with her shoulder.  
>"What am I, a bowl of grapes?" He teased, pushing her back gently.<br>"I like to a have a nice variety of boys to stare at, if you're lucky, you'll be one of them." She taunted.  
>"Okay, that's it, you have to cheer for me at tryouts now." He stated.<br>"Really Dunbar?" She asked mockingly.  
>"Really truly, or I won't be nice to you today." He replied dismissively.<br>"Hmm, you drive a hard bargain. Tell you what, if you do something spectacular, I'll throw in a 'Go Liam'" Rose replied wryly.  
>Liam rolled his eyes, "Ooh, aren't I lucky?" He commented sarcastically.<br>"The luckiest." Rose shot back, "so what's Beacon Hills like, really?" she asked curiously.  
>"It's high school, so by no means my happy place, but hey, if you have a good crowd it's pretty good." He surmised.<br>"Hmm, I wonder if I'll fall in with a good crowd?" Rose wondered.  
>"Well you've already befriended the greatest guy on campus, so you're off to a pretty good start." Liam teased.<br>"The greatest guy on campus hey? What's his name, I'm not sure I've met him yet." Rose replied.  
>"I'll give you a hint." He teased. "His name starts with L and ends with Iam Dunbar."<br>Rose laughed, "Oh really? Aren't I lucky then?" She questioned mockingly.  
>"The luckiest." Liam said, repeating her line from earlier.<p>

Liam and Rose turned the corner and were soon at the end of the schools street, looking at the building and the steady stream of students walking into it apprehensively Rose took a shaky breath.  
>"Any tips for me before you throw me into the deep end?" She asked nervously.<br>"I'm not throwing you into the deep end Rose; I'll be there for you today… I promise." He replied soothingly.  
>"Sure, but still… Any tips?" Rose squeaked anxiously and each step took them closer to the school.<br>"Um… Don't eat the tater tots in the cafeteria?" Liam replied jokingly.  
>Rose let out a shaky laugh. "No tater tots… Got it." She repeated.<br>"You ready?" Liam questioned as they stood at the front of Beacon Hills High.  
>Rose took a deep breath and looked at Liam quickly. He smiled reassuringly at her, and Rose nodded in confirmation.<br>"As I'll ever be." She replied, taking her first step onto school property.

* * *

><p><em>Hope you enjoyed the chapter, thanks so much for reading! So what does everyone think of Rose so far? Nothing too odd yet! Please review and tell me if there were any holes in the storytelling anywhere. Thanks again for reading and until next time!<em>

- Ivy


	2. Surprise Factor

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf, nor any of its characters.

**CHAPTER TWO  
><strong>**Surprise Factor**

_"You think you know people... And then they surprise you."  
>- Alison DiLaurentis, Pretty Little Liars<br>_

* * *

><p>"Liam!" A voice called amongst the crowd of students crowding around the front of the school.<br>Liam's head whipped around in the direction of the voice, but quickly turned back to Rose. "Come on, I'll introduce you to my friends." He said, beckoning her towards a group of older students.  
>Rose smiled but shook her head, "No, you go ahead. I have to go to the office and give them my paperwork anyway. Go catch up with your friends without the awkward new girl." She said, shooing him. Liam laughed and turned towards his friends.<br>"I'll catch you later then!" Liam called over the crowd.  
>Rose turned around and gave him the thumbs up, before turning around and running up the steps and into school.<p>

Looking around the halls Rose saw standard-issue lockers, tiny desks and matching chairs and the somewhat motivational posters that were stock standard in every school. Rose smirked slightly. Different school, but somehow exactly the same as her last. It didn't really matter whether you went to a fancy prep school or a basic public school, they were all copies of the same mind numbingly boring model, whether they admitted to it or not. Following the signs until she eventually found the office, Rose turned the handle and sauntered in. Glancing around, she familiarised herself with the surroundings, taking special note of the Principals office, as it wasn't entirely impossible she'd be making a few trips there.  
>"You must be Rose Hunter!" The receptionist chirped.<br>Spinning around to face the woman, Rose flashed her a smile and dug her paperwork out of her backpack. "The one and only." She replied, handing the woman her papers. The woman quickly scanned her information and raised her eyebrows when she came to her subject list.  
>"It says here you were placed in sophomore French at your old school." The receptionist stated, looking at her inquisitively.<br>"Yup." Rose replied, popping the 'p'. "I went to a fancy prep school for a while there when I was younger, French was compulsory. I'm not a genius by any stretch of the imagination." She explained.  
>"Sophomore French..." The receptionist muttered disbelievingly. Shuffling through her papers, she handed Rose a file. "Here's your orientation pack, the school requires you to take math, science and gym classes. You don't have any medical conditions that will prevent you from any sort of physical activities do you?" She questioned.<br>Rose shook her head and smiled to herself, "No ma'am, I've never even broken a bone." She said, chuckling to herself in a silent joke.  
>The receptionist smiled, "I love the easy ones. Here's your timetable, locker number and combination, along with a map. Good luck today Miss Hunter." She said warmly.<br>Rose took the sheets of paper and scanned her schedule. "Awesome, where do I go for homeroom?" She questioned.  
>"Down the hall and to the left."<br>"Thanks." Rose said, flashing the receptionist a grateful smile.

The bell rang, signalling it was high time Rose left for homeroom. Swinging the door open, she walked down the hall and took the first left. Peering at the numbers on the doors, she stopped at 210 and slowly opened the door.  
>The loud noise and constant chatter of the students came to an abrupt halt as Rose's new classmates eyed her curiously.<br>"You must be Rose Hunter." The teacher said in a bored tone, barely even looking up from his newspaper.  
>"Yes sir," she replied. There was a pregnant pause as Rose waited for some form of instruction... But it never came. The chatter quickly picked up where it left off as the students realised the teacher wasn't going to do the usual 'tell us something about you' crap and embarrass the new kid.<p>

Meanwhile, Rose awkwardly scanned the room for an empty desk.  
>"Hey, new girl! Rose?" A boy with dark hair and chocolate skin called. Rose made eye contact with him, he gave her a friendly grin and beckoned her towards him.<br>"I'm Mason, I'm a friend of Liam's." He said, offering his hand. Rose smiled and took a seat next to him, shaking his hand.  
>"Hi." Rose replied.<br>"Give me a look at your schedule." He demanded, holding his hand out. Rose would normally have bristled at the direct command, but something about the boy was warm and inviting, so she rustled around in her bag and eventually procured the piece of paper. Taking out some highlighters, Mason highlighted some of her classes and then handed it back to her.  
>"The yellow ones are the classes you have with Liam, the green one are the ones with me, and the yellow and green ones are with…"<br>"Both of you." Rose finished.  
>"Correct. You're quick, we're gonna be friends." Mason stated assuredly, handing her the schedule.<br>"I'm glad." She replied, looking down at it curiously.  
>"I have double English first, with you." She said pointing at the green highlighted section of her schedule.<br>"You sure do." Mason said, smiling at her assuredly.  
>Rose scanned the rest of her schedule, double English, gym, then French. The bell rang, and Mason stood up. "Come on, we can walk to English together." He said kindly.<br>"Thanks." Rose replied gratefully, slinging her bag onto her shoulder and quickly following Mason.

* * *

><p>Liam made his way over to Scott and Stiles and quickly embraced Scott in greeting.<br>"Hey man, how are you?" Scott questioned, thumping him on the back.  
>"Good, good. You?" Liam replied.<br>Scott laughed, "Yeah I'm alright. Who's the girl?" He questioned, craning his neck to catch a glimpse of the girl that had Liam smiling like a kid on Christmas morning.  
>"Rose, she's new to town. I thought I'd help her out considering the last time someone was new here you turned them into a werewolf." Liam joked.<br>"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Stiles questioned, looking at the girl suspiciously.  
>"What, helping someone out?" Liam asked incredulously.<br>Stiles sighed and shook his head. "Look, Liam; I don't want to be the bad guy here, but new kids are never really new kids in Beacon Hills. Kira? Kitsune. You? Werewolf. Mrs Blake, the nice English teacher? Darach. Your friend Brett and his girlfriend? Assassins. So excuse me if I'm a little suspicious of Little Miss Pretty New Girl that has someone magically befriended the only sophomore werewolf in town." Stiles explained, shrugging slightly.  
>"Stiles has a point Liam." Scott pointed out. "And even if she isn't some unknown supernatural force, that girl is really pretty and she's gonna raise your heartbeat whether you like it or not."<br>Liam scowled, "I'm in control." He stated, growling.  
>Stiles raised his hands in frustration and gestured at Liam in defeat. "Oh great, you just growled. Really awesome display of control there Liam, well done." He congratulated sarcastically. Liam flashed his golden eyes at Stiles and bared his teeth slightly.<br>"Liam, calm down and look at me." Scott demanded, Liam reluctantly meet eyes with Scott. "I'm not gonna ban you from seeing this girl, because trust me, I've been there and it doesn't work. Just... Be careful okay?" He advised.  
>Liam took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay."<br>"Good. I'll see you at tryouts." Scott said, patting him on the back.

* * *

><p>Liam caught sight of Mason and quickly bid the two older boys farewell.<br>"Hey! Mason!" Liam called.  
>Mason grinned at the sight of his best friend, "Hey man, ready for the first day back at school?" he questioned.<br>"Never. Summer should be endless, but anyway, I have a mission for you." He said.  
>Mason raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Really? And what would this mission be?" He asked curiously.<br>"There's a new girl, her name's Rose." Liam began.  
>"And you want me to see if she likes you or not." Mason interrupted.<br>"What? No. I want you to look out for her today if you see her. Help her out if she doesn't know where she's going, that sort of thing." Liam explained, walking up the steps with Mason.  
>"And then find out if she likes you." Mason finished.<br>"No, Mason listen: I just want you to help her out." Liam said, exasperated.  
>"All right, all right, just checking there wasn't an ulterior motive there or anything."<br>"No ulterior motive." Liam assured.  
>"Okay, challenge accepted. What does this girl look like?" Mason asked, pushing the school doors open.<br>"Long brown hair, kind of wavy, um, a little bit shorter than me but tall, and tanned?" Liam described.  
>"Congratulations Liam, you've just described more than half of the female population of Beacon Hills High." Mason sighed, stopping at his locker and shoving his bag inside.<br>Liam scoffed, "I didn't think I'd have to explain her like we're forming a police line up, Mason." He said. "What were you expecting? She's got long flowing chocolate coloured hair and a laughs that sounds just like sunshine?" He questioned sarcastically. "She's cool, keep an eye out for her, please." He said before walking off in the direction of his locker.  
>Mason rolled his eyes. "I just want you to help her out!" He mimicked under his breath. "Yeah right Dunbar. I see straight through that."<p>

* * *

><p>Stiles spun to face Scott and looked at him incredulously. "Scott you can't seriously expect the kid to remain calm around a girl can you? He's sixteen." Stiles remarked, leaning against the locker adjacent to Scott's.<br>Scott rolled his eyes and continued entering his combination. "I have faith in Liam Stiles, he's gonna be okay." Scott assured.  
>"What's going on?" Lydia questioned, catching up with the two boys. "I see concerned faces."<br>"Liam is what's wrong. He's made friends with the new girl." Stiles explained.  
>Lydia raised a single eyebrow. "Hmm, is that wise considering the amount of normal new people is currently at an all time low?"<br>"Thank you Lydia! Stiles exclaimed, "We have no idea who she is, where she came from and if she's human, werewolf, or other."  
>Scott frowned slightly. "I guess you guys have a point."<br>Stiles sighed in exasperation, "Yes we have a point! A point as pointy as the knives this girl could potentially be throwing into our backs if we're not careful!"  
>"Just because we're paranoid doesn't mean people aren't after us." Lydia added, "Let's not forget the deadpool so easily."<br>Scott sighed, "Well what do you guys think we should do? I'm not going to stop him from seeing her, remember when Derek tried to do that to me?"  
>"So we keep an eye on them, make sure they don't get too close, all the while checking out the girl and making sure she's who she says she is." Lydia suggested.<br>Scott frowned again. "I don't like the idea of keeping things from Liam."  
>Stiles sighed. "So we don't, get the kid in on it. Use him as an insider. That way, we're happy, he's happy... Everyone is so happy with this situation it may as well be Christmas."<p>

* * *

><p>The heels of the teachers dress shoes clicked ominously as he paced through the aisles of the English classroom. Regarding the students with a condescending sneer he stopped in front of Mason.<br>"Let's see, Mason is it?" He inquired, looking down at his roll.  
>Mason visibly gulped and nodded. The teacher flashed him a catlike smile. "Let's see if you completed your holiday reading. Can you tell me a symbol from <em>Flowers for Algernon<em>? And explain it if you don't mind."  
>Mason stammered and looked at Rose hopelessly. "Erm-"<br>"Perhaps a motif then?" The teacher interrupted, as gradually every student turned to face him.  
>Mason squirmed under the stares of the class.<br>"No? Hmm, okay then…Mason, have you read the book?" The teacher asked.  
>"Yes sir." Mason responded assuredly.<br>"Yet you cannot identify a single symbol?" He questioned, in false confusion.

Rose watched the scene slowly unfold, and slowly became more infuriated; seeing a chance to save Mason from further embarrassment, Rose yawned and then rolled her eyes dramatically to get the teachers attention. As expected, the teacher quickly abandoned his attempts at humiliating Mason and rounded on Rose.  
>"Ah, the new girl. I'm not sure how they did it at your old school, but the only people who are generally allowed to sigh in classrooms are those that know the answers." He sneered.<br>Rose's lips quirked into a smile, "I do know the answers sir." She replied.  
>"Oh really? Can <em>you <em>perhaps enlighten the class and tell them a symbol from the text?" He questioned.  
>Rose smirked and nodded. "Sure, a symbol in <em>Flowers for Algernon <em>is the window. Charlie always either remembers his childhood as seeing other children play through a window, and later when he gains a greater mental capacity he sees the younger version of himself watching him through windows. The window thing actually symbolises a few different things. When he's remembering his childhood, it represents the emotional and mental distance separating Charlie from the other kids. When he sees his younger self watching him through windows, it represents the unbridgeable gap between the two versions of himself, and just how different he is now that he's a genius. Further, the window represents all of the factors keeping the retarded Charlie from connecting with the rest of society."  
>The teacher stood there, speechless.<br>Rose shrugged, "So when you ask me if I can enlighten the class on a symbol from the text, the answer is yes, but now I have a question for _you _sir. I'm sure you understand, quid pro quo and all of that." Rose continued.  
>The class fell silent in expectation as Rose slowly tore Mr. Brown to pieces.<br>"Why is it that a reasonably well established man in his mid forties feels the need to terrorise students on their first day back from vacation? Is it to prove his superiority, or did you just not get enough hugs as a child?" Rose questioned in a tone that suggested genuine curiousity.  
>Mason snorted in amusement.<p>

Mr. Brown looked at her in indignation, and opened and closed his mouth as if he wished to articulate a response but couldn't. He soon stalked back to his desk and sat at his chair with a huff.  
>"Silent reading for those of you that haven't read the book. Everyone else, collect the set of questions I have on my desk concerning themes. This work is to be completed in silence!" He ordered, clearly still flustered from Rose's comments.<br>Rose smirked at Mason and stood up to collect a question sheet.

* * *

><p>"So then she asked him if it was to prove his superiority or if he hadn't received enough hugs as a child!" Mason recalled excitedly to Liam as they walked outside for recess.<br>Liam laughed and looked at Rose in amusement.  
>Rose shook her head, "Don't laugh, I shouldn't have done it; it was rude. Plus, I've read the book in my spare time, and I studied it at my old school, so it wasn't really fair. All that stuff I said was copied from an old essay."<br>"Unfair advantage, plagiarised, or not, that move was rudely necessary." Mason exclaimed, "That guy had me cornered, if you hadn't stepped in I probably would have died right then and there from severe embarrassment."  
>Rose rolled her eyes. "Sure, sure, I'm your saviour, that doesn't mean Mr. Smith is gonna forget that little moment too easily. He's going to crucify me the moment I get something wrong." She pointed out.<br>"Well here's an idea," Liam said, "Don't get anything wrong."  
>Rose elbowed him in response, "Easier said than done, genius. Where are we going anyway?" She questioned.<br>"We are going to introduce you to our older friends." Liam said, pointing to a group of people a couple of yards away.  
>"You have older friends? How sophisticated of you." Rose replied.<br>"Oh yeah, we're the height of sophistication." Mason said sarcastically.  
>"What does sophistication mean again Mason?" Liam asked jokingly.<br>"My point exactly." Mason responded.  
>Rose laughed at the two of them.<p>

"Okay then! Guys, this is Rose. Rose, this is Scott, Stiles, Malia, Kira and Lydia." Liam introduced.  
>The groups of juniors smiled at her and quickly offered their names again. "You can't expect the girl to pick them all up at once Liam." A red headed girl chided. "I'm Lydia." She said, smiling warmly at Rose.<br>"I'm Scott, let me know if there's anything I can do for you, including beating Liam up if he gets annoying." He joked.  
>"I have a feeling you won't need to," a dark haired girl commented, "I'm Kira." She said.<br>"Stiles." A dark haired boy said, offering his hand. Rose shook it, feeling strangely formal. He gestured for the girl beside him to introduce herself. "I'm Malia." She said bluntly, her arms crossed as she frowned at Rose. Stiles elbowed her slightly and she smiled, "It's nice to meet you." She said, sounding strangely scripted.  
>"So Rose, where are you from?" Stiles asked curiously.<br>"Dakota." Rose replied, taking a sip from her water bottle.  
>"What made you move?" Lydia questioned.<br>"Family situation." Rose said evenly, looking at Lydia cooly.  
>There was a moment of silence as the packs minds whirred with potential situations.<br>"Okay, clearly a touchy subject!" Kira said, easing the tension with an easy smile.  
>Stiles made to ask another question, but Liam quickly interrupted. "Okay! Interrogation over! Rose, Mason, we have gym class and it's on the other side of the school, so let's go."<br>Rose smiled at the group "Nice meeting you all!" She chirped.

As they walked away Liam leaned in and whispered in Rose's ear, "Sorry about them, they can be a little… Overbearing."  
>Rose shrugged, "I think it's sweet." She said.<br>As the walked towards the gym, Mason and Liam gave her the lowdown on gym class.  
>"It's taught by coach. He's a little…" Liam trailed off.<br>"Sarcastic." Mason finished.  
>"But he's great, so don't worry about him." Liam assured.<br>"Do you have a change of clothes?" Mason questioned.  
>Rose nodded, "I have a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, will that be okay?"<br>They both nodded, "That'll be fine." Liam assured, turning left.  
>"Awesome, do they split it up with genders of anything?" Rose asked.<br>"Not usually, I think we're doing self-defence today though, so I don't know." Mason said.  
>"If it's self defence, we'll need partners." Rose pointed out.<br>"There's a odd number of both genders in the class, so I'll go with you." Liam said quickly.  
>Mason rolled his eyes at this. "Who am I going to go with?" He asked Liam.<br>"I don't know, what about that kid you talked about all summer?" Liam suggested, wiggling his eyebrows.  
>Mason scowled at him. "Shut up." He advised, blushing.<br>"Alright, there's the girls locker room, see you in there." Liam said, pointing at a door marked GIRLS.  
>Rose adjusted her backpack and nodded at the boys. "Thanks guys."<p>

As Rose entered the room she was overwhelmed with the smell of flowery deodorant, coughing slightly. She dropped her bag on a bench and quickly swapped from her normal outfit into athletic gear.  
>"I swear Liam Dunbar got even <em>hotter <em>over break." She heard a feminine voice sigh.  
>"I didn't even think that was possible." Another girl chirped.<br>"Those eyes... And the muscles!" The first voice squealed.  
>Rose flinched at the girl's high pitch as she tied her laces.<br>"Mark my words girls, Liam Dunbar will be mine before the end of this term." The girl declared.  
>"You may have a problem with that Tiff, did you see the way he was looking at the new girl today?" Another girl added.<br>Rose stopped tying her laces and listened closely.  
>"I'm not threatened by fresh meat, she just needs to learn her place." The girl that must have been Tiffany remarked in a tight voice.<br>"The only thing that girl will be learning is Liam's anatomy if you don't act fast." Someone advised.

The girl beside Rose snorted derisively, catching Rose's eye, she winked and smiled mischievously.  
>"I don't think Rose Hunter looks like someone to be messed with Tiffany." The girl said, smiling at her.<br>Rose smiled back and mouthed a thanks.  
>"Ugh, whatever Nessa, let's roll girls I have eye candy to drool over." Tiffany said dismissively.<br>Nessa rolled her eyes and stuck her hand out at Rose. "I'm Nessa."  
>Rose shook her hand, "I gathered. Thanks for that." She said.<br>"Don't thank me." Nessa said, "I'll take any opportunity that presents itself to take that girl down a peg."  
>Rose smiled at her "Well, thanks anyway, I can use all the help I can get around here."<br>Nessa shrugged, "You don't want to be friends with her anyway, let's go."

The two girls walked in to the gym, Liam waved at Rose and she raised her hand in greeting in return.  
>"Which one's Tiffany?" She asked Nessa.<br>Nessa snorted, "I'll give you one guess." She said.  
>Rose scanned the room and eventually came to rest one a slim, dark haired girl with icy blue eyes and shoulder length hair, who was incidentally staring daggers at her.<br>"Let me guess, the little one with the visible midriff?" Rose guessed.  
>"Bingo." Nessa replied.<p>

Suddenly, a loud whistle pierced the friendly chatter of the gym. Rose winced at the sound.  
>"Alright class, today we will be learning a little self defence, so would you please split up into partners!" Coach boomed, Rose flinched again as he yelled directly next to her. Nessa looked at Rose questioningly. "Those partners should be of the opposite sex to your own please!" Coach added, noting the two girls moving to work together.<br>Nessa shrugged and moved to be with Mason. Liam made eye contact with Rose from across the room and made his way towards her.  
>"Hey Liam! Wanna be partners?" Tiffany chirped, standing directly in his path.<br>Liam frowned down at her and shook his head with an apologetic smile. "Uh, sorry Tiff, I'm going to go with Rose, maybe next time?" He said.  
>Rose smiled secretively to herself as he moved out of Tiffany's path and stood next to her. Tiffany stared daggers at her from across the room, Rose smiled at her charmingly and waved in friendly greeting. Tiffany appeared unimpressed.<br>"Making friends already I see." Liam remarked.  
>Rose winked at him. "Haven't you heard? I'm a delight."<p>

The whistle shrieked once more and Rose winced again. "Awful noise." She muttered.  
>Coach clapped his hands together and looked at the assembled students in delighted anticipation. "Alright then! I would like to request a volunteer for a demonstration." He yelled.<br>He was met with silence.  
>"Dunbar!" He said suddenly, spotting his star player. "Thank you so much for volunteering, and… Who are you?" Coach questioned bluntly, looking at Rose.<br>"Rose Hunter. I'm new." She stated, crossing her arms across her chest.  
>"Right! Everybody gather around the mat, Hunter, Dunbar, please stand on said mat." Coach ordered.<br>Rose and Liam made their way to the mats in the centre of the gym and looking at Coach, awaited for further instruction.  
>"Right, Dunbar. I want you to try and attack Hunter." He commanded.<br>Liam hesitated, "Coach, I don't really think…" He began  
>"Shut up." Coach advised.<br>"Coach I outweigh Rose by at least forty pounds... This isn't fair." Liam pointed out.  
>Coach sighed, "Hunter, do you have a problem with this?" He questioned, looking at her pointedly.<br>Rose smirked. "No sir, I'm more than happy for Liam to try and attack me." She replied, raising her fists above her face and looking at Liam challengingly. Liam merely raised his eyebrows in response.  
>"Dunbar, you heard the girl. Hit her." Coach demanded impatiently.<p>

Liam sighed and half-heartedly threw a punch. Rose grabbed his wrist before it hit her face with her left hand, pulled it outwards and down. She then half-cartwheeled onto her right hand and lifted her legs into the air, quickly fastening them around Liam's neck. She swept her right hand off of the floor and transferred all of her weight into her legs, pulling Liam's head down and effectively flipping him over onto his back. Their final position was Rose's knees clamped around Liam's neck, and her lying across the arm that originally swung at her, forcing it into an uncomfortable position. The whole exchange was over in a matter of seconds.  
>"Ah!" Liam cried, struggling to escape from her grip.<br>Rose quickly let go of him and stood up. Offering her hand to help him up, Liam took it and looked at her in wonder. The class was silent and stared in complete awe of the two. Coach coughed. "Well that didn't exactly go as planned." He surmised, looking at Rose in surprise.  
>"Like I said, I'm more than happy for Liam to try and attack me, but I'm not going to let him actually hurt me." Rose stated, dusting off her hands.<br>Coach coughed, and looked at her curiously. "Okay then, the next few weeks were originally going to be about teaching everyone how to defend themselves against attackers, but you've clearly got that down pat." Rose smirked at Liam, and Coach continued. "You and Dunbar can spar together separately, while I teach the rest of the class." Coach advised. "I'll give you both top marks as long as you don't annoy me or seriously injure one another."  
>Rose nodded and looked at Liam questioningly. "Is that okay with you?" She enquired.<br>Liam smiled at her. "We are going to have so much fun." He stated, grinning.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks to <span>Halo-Lucinda-Ivy<span> for beta-reading everything for me, reading my three-page rough plan and helping me with chapter names! Thanks the Lord for the patience of Beta readers! Mention must also go to celcd16 for reviewing First Impressions, as it gave me the motivation to churn out another chapter as soon as I could! As always, let me know if there's anything I can improve, as well as your impressions of the story thus far and Rose. Until next time!  
><em>- Ivy.


	3. Suspicious Minds

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf, nor any of its characters.

**CHAPTER THREE  
><strong>**Suspicious Minds**

_"She was like the moon - Part of her was always hidden away."  
><em>_- Dia Reeves._

* * *

><p>Rose and Liam trudged onto the lacrosse field, Liam with his lacrosse kit and Rose with both of their lunches.<br>"You can fight." Liam commented, staring at her in interest.  
>Rose shrugged, "I've done self defence classes since I was young." She explained as if it was nothing.<br>Liam shook his head in disbelief and chuckled. "Why didn't you tell me?" He questioned.  
>Rose threw back her head and laughed. "What, and miss the look on your face? That was priceless! No way."<br>Liam rolled his eyes and shoved her gently to the side. "Whatever Hunter, don't expect me to go easy on you next class." He warned.  
>"I wouldn't want it any other way Dunbar." Rose replied sweetly, giving him an exaggerated smile. Liam looked at her and snorted before jogging towards the centre of the field.<p>

Rose stared at his back and quietly admired the way his muscles moved underneath his white t-shirt. Liam glanced behind him and caught her staring. "Like what you see Hunter?" He teased, grinning at her and flexing his muscles.  
>Rose snorted in response. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Dunbar." She scoffed, while her cheeks turned a light shade of pink. Liam laughed, stopping in the centre of the field, he dropped his kit and pulled out two lacrosse sticks and a ball. Rose chucked their lunches on the bleachers and quickly joined him in the centre of the field.<br>"You ready?" He asked, throwing her a stick. Rose caught it easily, but looked at him dubiously.  
>"You do know I don't play lacrosse… Right?" She questioned, gripping the stick in what she hoped was the correct form.<br>Liam merely smiled at her, "I know, but someone told me that teaching is like, the best way to consolidate your skills, so here we are." He explained.  
>"Also Mason didn't want to help you." Rose added.<br>"That is correct, Mason did not want to help me, it's a good thing you agreed to this morning, isn't it?" He said, grinning at her.

Rose rolled her eyes at him. "I don't even think I'm holding this thing right." She pointed out, holding up the lacrosse stick. Liam laughed at her. "You're not. Here," he said, dropping his on the grass and moving behind her. Wrapping his arms around her, he encircled her hands with his own.  
>"Okay the first thing we need to find out is if you're left or right handed." He said into her ear.<br>"I'm left-handed." She replied, acutely aware of how close they were.  
>"Okay, cool, so what you want to do is put your right hand directly above the butt end of the stick with your thumb pointing toward the stick head." He said, taking his hand and placing her right hand over the top of the stick. "Like that."<br>Rose nodded slightly. "Okay, what next?" She asked, pressing herself more firmly against Liam so he had better control over her hands and could see better. Or so she told herself. Liam took a deep breath, but didn't move away.  
>"Alright, now you need to position your left hand one-third of the way up the stick handle, about shoulder-width distance from your right hand. Again, point your thumb toward the stick head." He said, guiding her left hand towards the required position. "Perfect." He commented.<br>"Anything else?" Rose asked.  
>"Couple more things." He replied, "Curl your hand around the handle a little more so it rests on the pads of your fingers, and press your thumbs against the stick shaft." He advised, turning her hand slightly. "Now, just bend your left elbow slightly. That's it. Well done." He said. Letting go of her, he stood back and admired his handiwork. Rose let out the breath she didn't know she was holding as he stepped away.<br>"Perfect." He said, clearly proud of his work.

Rose relaxed slightly. "So are you going to throw the ball at me now or what? I'm practically a pro now I know how to hold the stick." She said, swishing it back and forth.  
>Liam laughed at her. "Don't tempt me Rose." He warned, picking up his stick.<br>Rose raised her eyebrows in response "Come on Dunbar, scared a rookie's gonna beat you?" She challenged.  
>He shook his head at her. Smirking, he scooped the ball up from the ground and flung it at her. Rose ran backwards, and caught it effortlessly. Smirking at him, she forcefully threw it back, aiming for his abdomen. Liam shot her a surprised look, but caught the ball without any trouble.<br>"You sure you haven't played before?" He called.  
>Rose laughed and shook her head, "I didn't even know how to hold the stick a moment ago. It was probably beginner's luck?" She suggested.<br>Liam snorted disbelievingly. "Beginner's luck? That would have winded me if I hadn't caught it!" He exclaimed.  
>Rose shrugged, "Catch it then?" she said, as if it was the easiest thing in the world.<br>"Catch it then?" He mimicked, throwing the ball at her, she caught it and threw it back, but missed the mark and bounced against the ground, rolling to his feet.  
>"Maybe it was beginner's luck!" He laughed, picking up the ball.<br>"Shut up." Rose muttered, shooting him daggers with her eyes.  
>"Heard that!" Liam called, throwing her the ball again.<p>

They threw the ball back a forth for a while. Rose finally got the hang of throwing and catching properly, and even managed to move and throw at the same time. Liam was effortless in all of his movements; the lacrosse stick was like an extension of his arm. Breathless, they met in the middle of the pitch again, Liam with a smile on his face that suggested he had a plan.  
>"I don't like that smile." Rose said warily.<br>"What smile?" Liam asked innocently.  
>"THAT smile, the smile that says you have a plan that I'm not going to enjoy." Rose accused.<br>"Well now that you mention it…" Liam trailed off. Rose sighed and looked at him expectantly. "How about a one on one?" He suggested.  
>Rose raised an eyebrow, "You'll destroy me." She stated simply.<br>"I'll go easy on you, promise! Plus, I need to do something more than playing catch before tryouts." He explained.  
>Rose sighed. "Fine, but only because I'm a fantastic friend that truly cares about your high school lacrosse career." She said dramatically.<br>"Let's do it then" Liam said, dropping the ball on the ground and leaning down. "You can call it." He added.  
>Rose leant down and placed her stick next to Liam's. "Three... Two… One!" She said.<br>Liam snatched up the ball and sprinted towards the goals, slamming it in. He turned around a smirked at Rose.  
>"Where were you?" He called smugly.<br>"Sorry, I'm just replaying the words 'I'll go easy on you' in my head at the moment!" Rose called.  
>Liam laughed, picked up the ball and jogged back. "Okay, I'll go easy on you this time." He assured, grinning.<br>Rose merely raised an eyebrow. "Good." She said suspiciously, not truly believing him.

He did not go easy on her.

Liam scooped up the ball and shot it into the goals over, and over, and over again. At one point, Rose dropped her stick and chased after him, jumping onto his back. He still managed to score a goal however, and after releasing the ball he turned his head to look at her from the corner of his eye.  
>"If you wanted a piggy back, you should've just asked." He commented breezily.<p>

On the fifth goal Rose let out a cry of frustration at his smug, grinning face. Thoughts churning in her mind, she quickly formulated a plan and smiled slightly to herself.  
>"Aren't you tired of losing?" Liam questioned arrogantly, dropping the ball on the ground once more. Rose rolled her eyes and shrugged.<br>"I guess you're just too good." She said sweetly. Leaning down, she placed her stick next to Liam's and looked him directly in the eyes.  
>"You know…" She said, "This whole being good at lacrosse thing makes you <em>really <em>hot." she murmured, fluttering her eyelashes slightly.  
>Liam's eyes widened and his grip on his lacrosse stick loosened. "Uh… um…"<br>Rose quickly scooped up the ball and sprinted off towards the goals, leaving a dumbstruck Liam behind. Unfortunately for her however, he didn't _stay _dumbstruck for long enough, and as she was about to shoot for goal he tackled her, sending them both tumbling to the ground, lacrosse sticks flying.  
>"Oof." Rose cried, as she finally came to rest, with Liam pressed on top of her. He didn't move.<br>"Liam." She whispered.  
>He rested on his forearms and looked at her amusedly. "Yes Rose?"<br>"Can you get off me? I think I can actually hear my ribs cracking. " She wheezed.  
>Liam adjusted his weight slightly so she could breathe easier, but didn't move from on top of her. "Hmm, I don't know Rose… You just employed some pretty dirty tactics, I don't know if a few broken ribs would go astray." He remarked.<br>"Liam, please! God, how are you so heavy?" Rose gasped.  
>"Comments about people's weight are rude, Rose. Say, 'I'm sorry I cheated Liam, you're the most attractive boy I've ever met." He demanded, smiling cheekily at her.<br>"Okay, okay!" She conceded.  
>"Good girl." He said. "I'm waiting." He taunted.<p>

Rose paused and then smiled at him. "You know, now that I've had a moment to think, you're _not _the most attractive boy I've ever met." Rose said conversationally. Liam's features registered shock. Rose then wrapped her legs around his torso and rolled over so that she was on top. Pinning his arms over his head she smiled down at him.  
>"Or the most switched on. Did you forget gym class so quickly?" She remarked, smiling teasingly at him, Liam licked his lips and raised his eyebrows at her amusedly. Rose's smile faded as she realised their position… their <em>closeness<em>. Liam's eyes flickered down to her lips. Rose breathed out softly and waited tensely for the next moment.

"LIAM!" A voice yelled, cutting the tension like a blade. The two freshmen looked in the direction of the voice and soon saw Scott and Stiles looking at them in exasperation.

Rose released her grip on Liam's arms as if she was burned and quickly stood up. Liam also shot up like a rocket and looked abashedly at Scott and Stiles. Stiles gestured furiously for Liam to come to them, just as the bell rang. Rose grabbed her sandwich and rushed off to class, cheeks burning.

* * *

><p>"What was that?" Stiles demanded Liam furiously, pointing at Rose's retreating back.<br>"Nothing!" Liam defended indignantly.  
>Stiles threw up his hands in defeat and gestured for Scott to take over.<br>Scott sighed "What happened to taking it easy?" He asked. Liam sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I did not plan that." He said.  
>"Oh yeah, I'm sure you didn't plan the whole: 'yeah babe I'll give you a detailed tutorial of how to hold a crosse' at all. I'm sure you hated every minute of that." Stiles drawled sarcastically. Liam blushed and kicked the grass.<br>"You could have turned at any point there Liam. You may as well stick a sign on your head that says: Hello Rose I'm a werewolf! If you're a hunter, please feel free to stab my furry ass to death." Stiles continued.  
>"I didn't turn though." Liam stated, looking Stiles in the eye challengingly.<br>"No, you didn't and I'm really proud of you for that, but we still don't know who and what this girl is, and getting too close to any girl right now is a little dangerous for you right now. How did you even meet?" Scott asked curiously.  
>"I was out running this morning and she was on the same track. We raced, she won." Liam replied simply. "And anyway, Coach has paired us for self defence in gym for the next however long because she kicked my ass today, so there's no point in saying I can't be physically close to her, because I'm going to have to be, every single gym class." Liam pointed out.<br>Stiles shook his head in disbelief. "So you're telling me this girl out-ran your werewolf ass this morning. She then proceeded to beat you in a fight in gym class, and you're not even slightly suspicious about that?"  
>Liam opened his mouth to reply, but hesitated.<br>"You've got to admit Liam, this girl isn't exactly screaming 'normal human girl' right now." Scott said.  
>"You're a were-wolf Liam, you are faster and stronger than any human by a lot. The fact that this girl can beat you in both a race and a fight is a bit strange." Stiles added.<br>Liam furrowed his brow and bit his lip. "Even if she is a hunter, or a werewolf or whatever; wouldn't it be better for me to hang around her and make sure she's not dangerous? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right?" He questioned.  
>Scott looked at Stiles pointedly. "He has a point, if he keeps close to her, we can figure out what she is a lot faster." He explained.<br>Stiles nodded in agreement.  
>"She smells like a regular human girl… No werewolf or other supernatural scent at all." Liam added. "See, I'm already helping in the Rose Hunter investigation." He said arrogantly, sending Stiles a pointed look.<br>Scott looked at Stiles questioningly. "If her scent is human…" He trailed off.  
>Stiles sighed in defeat. "Look, I don't know what she is. I just don't know if we should completely trust her yet. She randomly shows up to Beacon Hills, she doesn't talk about why she moved and she can do all of this other stuff? This girl doesn't add up." Stiles said.<br>"'This girl' as you're calling her; is being a lot nicer to me than either of you two were in the beginning. If I remember correctly you broke my ankle, nearly got me thrown off a building and killed, bit me, kidnapped me and then tried to keep me from escaping. All Rose has done is outrun me and beat me in a fight." Liam argued.  
>Stiles sighed, "You're still not letting that go? Seriously we've apologised for that."<br>Liam merely raised an eyebrow. "I like Rose. She's cool, funny and we have a lot in common. Yeah, I'll admit, she's a little suspicious right now, but you guys should trust me with this. I'm not an idiot." He stated, before walking off, packing up his kit and leaving the two juniors in indignant silence.

"And quit following me!" Liam called back to them.

* * *

><p>Rose waited at Liam's locker at the end of the day and smiled as she saw him approaching.<br>"Hey." He greeted.  
>"Hey, I'm really sorry but I can't come to lacrosse tryouts today, my Mom wants me to pick up a few things at the store for dinner tonight and then help her cook." She explained.<br>Liam spun his combination and smiled at her. "Don't stress Rose, I'll see you tomorrow. Pick you up at the same time?" He asked.  
>Rose beamed, "That'd be awesome. Thanks Liam."<br>Liam took a few books out and stuffed them in his backpack. "No problem. Wish me luck for today." He said.  
>Rose scoffed, "You don't need luck. I saw you today at lunch; you're amazing at lacrosse. It's like the stick is an extension of your arm or something."<br>Liam shut his locker and looked down at her. "Thanks." He said.  
>"No problem. And um… Thanks for being so nice to me today; you definitely made my first day here not so crap. I really appreciate it." She said awkwardly.<br>Liam shut his locker and smiled at Rose. "Rose, seriously don't mention it."  
>Rose shot him a smile and nodded. "Okay, cool"<br>The two smiled at each other for a moment, before they heard a loud cough directly next to them.  
>"Come on Liam, we have tryouts!" Stiles called.<br>Rose shook her head, smiled and walked off. "See you tomorrow Liam!" She called.  
>Liam turned around and waved at her. "I'll call you when I'm out the front!" He replied.<p>

* * *

><p>Rose walked into the house and dropped the groceries on the kitchen counter.<br>"Mom? You home?" She called.  
>Charity walked into the room and smiled at Rose. "How was your first day of school Rosie?" She asked, unpacking the food.<br>"It was good, we're doing self defence in gym and I kicked Liam's ass, which was fun, and because we're both experienced fighters, we get to spar separately from the rest of the class." Rose replied, taking out the potatoes and beginning to peel them.  
>"You didn't show off did you?" Her Mother chided gently.<br>Rose rolled her eyes, "Mom, of course I showed off… Being able to take down a boy is pretty cool."  
>"Mmm, just be careful Rosie." She warned.<br>"I'm always careful Mom." Rose replied, cutting the potatoes into quarters and coating them with oil and salt. "How was your day anyway?" She asked, changing the topic.  
>"Good. They need a new assistant in the sheriff's office so I've applied for a job there." She said. "Turn the T.V on sweetie, the news should be on any minute now."<br>Rose washed her hands quickly and grabbed the remote. Turning the television on, she flicked to the news channel. "You can watch if you want, I'll finish everything else." She offered.  
>"It's fine, I can see everything from here anyway, just turn it up." Charity said.<br>Rose turned the television up and returned to the potatoes.

"… And the nationwide search for missing teen Aurora Lyall from the prominent Chicago family continues today, as authorities now begin to question foul play. The public is encouraged to call the hotline if they see this girl anywhere."  
>A picture of Aurora Lyall flashed on to the screen. She was a pretty thing, with golden, pin straight blonde hair and a slim, ballerina body. She was wearing a pink sundress and grinning at the camera like she was having the time of her life. Rose cocked her head to the side and studied the photo.<br>"Poor thing, I do hope she shows up soon. Her family must be going mad with worry." Charity murmured sympathetically.  
>"Yeah… Poor girl." Rose said vaguely.<p>

* * *

><p><em>As always, feel free to review what your thoughts are on the story thus far and what you think may happen next! Thanks again to <span>Halo-Lucinda-Ivy<span> for beta-reading my work, and to celcd16 for reviewing the previous chapter. I absolutely adore hearing what you think! A new chapter should be posted very soon, so stay tuned everyone!  
><em>- Ivy

_P.S. Here's an original 'Bad Blood' joke for you (it's terribly lame, but I smile whenever I read it!): Knock knock! Who's there? Interrupting Stiles! Interrupting Stiles Wh- LIAM! COUGH COUGH. _

_Hahahaha! Get used to seeing more Interrupting Stiles in future chapters! _


	4. Vengeance

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf, nor any of its characters.

**CHAPTER FOUR  
>Vengeance<strong>

_"Every person on the planet has a story. Don't judge people before you truly know them. The truth might surprise you."  
>- Unknown<br>_

* * *

><p>"<em>Jeremy, please don't do this." Aurora begged, trying to calm her brother down.<br>Jeremy put his drink down and smiled sadistically at his little sister. "There you go again, trying to tell me what to do… Don't you understand 'sis? I am head of this family, I am the boy, I make the decisions, and I call the shots! You? You do nothing. You are the bitch of this pack, in every sense of the word; the sooner I can get rid of you, the better." He said venomously.  
>Aurora flinched at his words, but stood there silently, unresisting. Jeremy grinned maniacally at her and continued his rant.<br>"Your only job is to look nice and flash that pretty little smile of yours on cue." He said, grabbing her jaw and forcing her to look at him. "You don't get a say, you don't get to contribute; the only thing you get is orders from me that you then follow."_

_Aurora forced her jaw out of his hands and looked at him with sadness in her eyes. "Jeremy, I don't understand why there's such bad blood between us. We're brother and sister, why do you hate me so?" She questioned innocently.  
>Jeremy's faced contorted in rage. "You murdered my Mother, you monster. You tore her from this world and then had the gall to look at me with her eyes every day and pretend you were innocent in the act. Bad blood?" He said furiously, pushing her.<br>"Bad blood?" He demanded, pushing her again.  
>Aurora stumbled back and looked at him with a tortured expression. "She wasn't my fault." She protested weakly.<br>Jeremy bared his teeth at her and his eyes flashed red. "What we have is not bad blood, oh sister mine, this is not a petty conflict that can be settled with pretty words and therapy." He hissed.  
>"What we share is unadulterated loathing, and it will not go away until I stick a wolfs bane laced dagger through your heart." He threatened, shoving her again.<br>"Fight me!" He demanded.  
>Aurora shook her head sadly. "Jeremy, you're drunk and upset. I'm not going to fight you."<br>Jeremy pushed her again. "Of course." He laughed. "Ever the bitch, too afraid to fight, like always. Bitch." He taunted.  
>Aurora growled and her eyes flashed blue. "Don't call me a bitch." She said.<br>Jeremy shoved her again. "Bitch." He said with a sadistic smirk.  
><em>_Aurora shoved him back. "Don't." She warned, punctuating the word with another push._

_Jeremy's eyes widened as he realized she was going to fight back and he stumbled slightly.  
>"Don't call me a bitch." She said, slamming her fist into his face. "Don't push me." She said, "Don't pretend you're better than me, simply because you're a boy, you masochistic piece of scum." She said, delivering a fierce uppercut to his chin. "And don't you ever, blame our Mother's death on me again." She said, fly kicking him in the face. Jeremy crumpled to the ground, clearly unconscious. She took one last glance at him, crushed her foot into his face and heard the satisfying crunch of a broken nose. She spat on him and was about to leave when the only door in the room opened and a figure stepped in…<em>

Rose's phone buzzed harshly against the wood of her bedside table and she awoke with a gasp.  
>"Bad dream. Bad dream. Bad dream." She repeated to herself, wiping the tears she hadn't realized she had in her eyes.<p>

Her phone continued to buzz persistently and Rose regarded her phone curiously as an unknown number flashed on her screen. Cautiously, she answered the call.  
>"Hello?" She said questioningly.<br>"Rose, this is the FBI, we have a few questions for you relating to the death of Aurora Lyall..." A female voice said gravely.  
>Rose tensed up and tried to swallow the awful feeling rising in her throat. "I'm sorry?" She squeaked.<br>"Hahaha! I'm so kidding! It's Nessa; I got your number from Mason. How are you?" The girl questioned.  
>Rose breathed a silent sigh of relief and smiled into the phone "I'm good Nessa, how are you?" Rose asked, relaxing onto her bed.<br>"I'm good, I'm good. Listen, I was thinking; you're new around here so you probably don't know a lot of the cool places to go to hang out yet. Would you want me to give you the grand tour?" Nessa questioned.  
>Rose smiled at the girl's friendliness. "That'd be awesome Nessa. When do you want to go?" Rose asked.<br>"Well, it's Sunday morning and… Have you had breakfast yet?" Nessa said suddenly.  
>Rose got up from her bed and quickly picked out an outfit. "No… Should I?" She said.<br>"No, no. This is perfect! Do you have a bike?" Nessa asked excitedly.  
>"Yes." Rose replied, holding the phone to her shoulder and pulling on a pair of jeans.<br>"Even better, tell you what, I think I'm closer to town than you, so bike to my house, I'll text you the address and then we can go out. How does that sound?" Nessa questioned.  
>Rose grinned. "Sounds brilliant, I'll see you soon." She said, pulling on the other leg of her jeans.<br>"Cool, see you in a bit." Nessa replied.

Rose hung up and chucked her phone on the bed. She quickly pulled on a green-sleeved baseball tee; her tan boots and wrapped a tartan scarf around her neck. Grabbing her tan satchel she shoved her wallet and phone in it and ran downstairs.  
>"I'm going out!" She called to her Mother in the kitchen.<br>"Woah, woah, woah! Hold up there young lady!" Her Mother replied, halting Rose in her steps.  
>Rose skidded to a halt at the door and turned around to face Charity. "I'm going out with a friend." She explained.<br>"Liam? When do I get to meet the mysterious Liam that waits at my doorstep everyday for you?" Charity questioned.  
>Rose rolled her eyes. "No, not Liam, a girl friend. Her name's Nessa, she's from school."<br>Charity raised an eyebrow. "Don't roll your eyes at me young lady, you know I'm only looking out for you." She chided.  
>Rose sighed. "I know, I'm sorry, can I go now? I'm biking to her house and then she's gonna show me around town."<br>Charity pulled out her wallet and handed Rose twenty dollars. "Be careful." She cautioned, walking back to the kitchen.  
>"Thank you! I'll call you when I'm on the way home!" Rose called, opening the door and rushing outside. Pulling her bike out of the driveway, she looked at the address Nessa texted her and rode off.<p>

Rose skidded to a halt outside the address and looked around for Nessa.  
>"Hey! Rose!" She called.<br>Rose turned her head and smiled as she saw Nessa approaching.  
>"Follow me!" She said, biking down the road.<br>Rose mounted her bike and quickly caught up to her. "Where are we going?" She questioned.  
>"There's a café in town that does really good eggs, we can talk, eat and gossip. How does that sound?" Nessa replied.<br>"Awesome." Rose responded.  
>The two rode what ended up being a five-minute trip into town, and came to a halt outside a small café on the corner of the main street.<br>"Just leave your bike outside, no one will steal it, and if they do, you're friends with the sheriffs son so they'll find it pretty quickly."  
>Rose laughed. "Stiles? No, I don't think he likes me, but anyway." Rose rested her bike against the wall and entered the shop.<br>"Can I get a small Sunday special and a hot chocolate please?" Nessa asked the woman behind the counter.  
>"And I'll get the same, but with a skinny cappuccino." Rose said.<br>"No problems girls, take a seat and we'll bring it over to you. " The woman said.  
>The two girls found a table and sat down. "You know," Nessa said conversationally. "You can tell a lot about a person from their coffee order."<br>Rose raised her eyebrows. "Really? Do tell." She said.  
>"Well, you ordered a skinny cap, right? I'd guess you're probably the youngest of say… I don't know, three? Strong coffee suggests point to prove, also strong coffee suggests you don't mess around. You're a straight shooter, and don't take crap from anyone. Skinny milk, you're health conscious but I already knew that, but the fact that you even ordered a milk drink instead of a tea suggests that you're health conscious, but no enough to stop you from living. You're a healthy balance kind of gal." Nessa deduced.<br>Rose raised an eyebrow. "Close, but not quite. I'm an only child." She said.  
>Nessa shrugged, "It's an inexact science." She confessed.<p>

Their food soon arrived and they both tucked in.  
>"So, Rose Hunter, tell me your story." Nessa prompted.<br>Rose swallowed her food and thought about it for a moment. "Hmm, where to begin? I've just moved from South Dakota, family issues, but also my Mom doesn't like to stay in one place for too long. She calls it wanderlust, I call it flightiness. I'm an only child, Dad's not in the picture. Erm, I like self-defense, done it since I was a little kid and… Yeah that's pretty much it."  
>Nessa nodded slightly. "Interesting, you're an interesting one. There's way more to your story, I can tell but we've only been friends for like, a week, so I won't push now."<br>Rose took a sip from her coffee and smiled. "I've got nothing to hide." She said.  
>Nessa rolled her eyes. "You <em>so <em>do. Call it intuition, there is way more than meets the eye with you Rose. But anyway, let's get down to the real question: How is it, that a new girl can arrive into Beacon Hills and on her very first day sweep up our year levels most eligible bachelor?"  
>Rose coughed slightly, and then laughed. "You mean Liam? We're just friends." She dismissed.<br>Nessa scoffed. "Yeah, _right._"  
>Rose shrugged innocently. "I'm serious, I get that it's weird that we're close after such a small amount of time, but we just get each other. He's probably my best friend." Rose said.<br>Nessa rolled her eyes, "Whatever, I'm just saying, when you two have children, you better make Mason and I godparents."  
>Rose snorted. "Okay Nessa, whatever you say."<br>"Your kids will be really hot." Nessa continued.  
>"Stop."<br>"And you speak French which means they'll be hot and bilingual." She teased.  
>"Oh my God you are so embarrassing."<br>"Rose Dunbar, it's got a ring to it, doesn't it?" She commented.  
>"Nessa!" Rose said, flushing red.<br>Nessa cackled. "Okay, okay I'll stop."

* * *

><p>Scott and Liam entered Derek's loft and sat down with the rest of the pack.<br>"Okay! Pack meeting has commenced." Stiles announced, clapping his hands together.  
>Derek rolled his eyes. "You are an idiot." He stated, looking at Stiles.<br>Stiles laughed sarcastically. "Ha, ha, very funny Derek. Why don't you take the Big Bad Wolf act somewhere else, we have serious business to discuss."  
>Derek raised an eyebrow. "Oh like Liam's new girlfriend? That doesn't sound like pack business to me, it sounds like Mother's Club."<br>"She's not my girlfriend!" Liam called. "Not that anyone cares, but just for the record: Not my girlfriend! Just a new girl who is a little bit suspicious. She could just be another werewolf." Liam suggested.  
>"So you've been sparring with her for over a week now, and you haven't hurt her once?" Stiles demanded.<br>Liam shrugged. "Maybe she's healing, maybe she's just a good, human fighter and you need her to be supernatural so it can justify the fact you can't fight at all." He suggested.  
>Stiles rolled his eyes. "Go and train little beta. I'll expect an apology when this girl kills you. I'm claiming full I told you so rights right now." He said.<p>

Liam rolled his eyes and left with Scott and Malia to train in the woods.

"Right, Derek and Kira. Come here and research with me, I need everything you can get on a girl called Rose Hunter." Stiles commanded.  
>Sighing, Derek and Kira sat on either side of Stiles and pulled out their laptops.<br>"Okay, so apparently she was a cheerleader at her old school." Stiles said, clicking on a video online of her at a competition.  
>"Don't show that to Liam." Kira advised, smiling slightly.<br>"What? Why?" Stiles questioned.  
>"I don't know Stiles, why shouldn't we show Liam a video of the girl he likes jumping and flipping around in a cheerleading uniform? Why shouldn't we do that?" Derek questioned sardonically.<br>"Apparently he doesn't like her." Stiles commented.  
>Derek snorted, "Yeah right, I can smell the puppy love on that kid from a mile away."<br>Stiles shrugged and exited the video.  
>"Wait." Derek commanded, "Bring the video back up."<br>Stiles smirked at him. "Are you sure it's Liam we shouldn't be showing this video to?" He snickered.  
>"Shut up Stiles, play it back." Derek dismissed.<br>"Cheerleader fantasies are perfectly normal, there's nothing to be ashamed of Derek." Stiles continued.  
>"Shut UP Stiles show me a picture of this girl." Derek said impatiently.<br>"Stiles, I think Derek is onto something." Kira said, pulling up Rose's profile picture, she spun her laptop around to face Derek.  
>Derek studied the picture for a moment and frowned slightly.<br>"I've seen this girl before." Derek said wonderingly.  
>"What? Where?" Stiles demanded.<br>"I don't know… I can't remember." Derek said in a frustrated tone.  
>"Well try and remember!" Stiles said incredulously.<br>"I can't!" Derek said. "But I don't think that girl's name is Rose Hunter."

* * *

><p>Rose swung fiercely at Liam with her right arm, but he blocked it with his mitt. He then swung in a wide arc with his other hand, but Rose swiftly ducked under his arm and returned the attack with a deft left jab. She quickly followed up the jab with a fierce right hook and jumped up to roundhouse him, but lightning fast, he grabbed her leg, threw her to the floor and held her there.<br>"I know that trick now Rose, you're gonna have to try something new." He teased, sweat dripping down his brow.  
>Rose struggled fiercely underneath him, but he had her firmly pinned to the floor. Her arms held above her head and her legs were trapped underneath his shins. She tried wrapping her legs around his torso, but her legs were too firmly pinned underneath his. Sighing in frustration, she looked at him in defeat.<br>"I give up." She stated.

Liam smiled in satisfaction and moved off of her. Rose stood up and wiped the sweat off her brow. Moving over to the end of the mat, she bent over and picked up their drink bottles.  
>"Liam Dunbar if you so much as think about staring at my ass I will spit in your drink bottle and don't think I won't." Rose warned. Liam quickly averted his eyes and mussed up hair on back of his head. Looking around the gym for something else to stare at, his eyes quickly fell on Mason, who had been partnered with Nessa again. Mason grinned at him and made a whipping motion with his hand. Liam rolled his eyes and shook his head.<br>"Think fast." Rose called, throwing Liam his drink bottle. Liam spun around and caught it before it smacked him on the back of his head.  
>"That was going to hit me." Liam said pointedly, taking a sip.<br>"Good thing you've got good reflexes then, isn't it?" Rose quipped, squirting some water into her mouth.  
>"Why don't you ever drink your water properly? You know, sip it like a normal person?" Liam asked.<br>Rose scrunched up her nose. "I don't like sucking." She explained.  
>Liam raised his eyebrows. "That's what she said." He teased.<br>Rose blushed, but rolled her eyes. "You are such a boy sometimes." She said, chucking her drink bottle to the ground.  
>Liam flexed his muscles at her. "You love it." He taunted.<br>Rose pushed him teasingly "Do not." She replied.  
>Liam ran at her, grabbed her by the legs, hoisted her over his shoulder and started running around the gym. Rose bounced helplessly on his shoulder. "Ow, ow, ow! Liam! Put me down, your shoulder is stabbing me!" Rose shrieked, laughing.<br>Liam merely laughed. "Nope, I'm gonna need a more polite request before I even consider letting you go Miss Hunter." Liam said. Rose beat his back with her fists. "Let me go!" She demanded.

Nessa and Mason regarded the scene with amusement. "Relationship goals." Nessa said, looking at the two.  
>"They're not even going out." Mason commented.<br>Nessa snorted, "Please, they're more together than any other "official" couples in our year."  
>"How long do you think it'll take them?" Mason questioned.<br>"Too long, they're absolutely clueless." Nessa retorted.

"LIAM! Put me down or I swear!" Rose cried.  
>"You'll do what Hunter? They way I see it, you're not in any position to be making threats." Liam commented.<br>"Really Dunbar?" She questioned deviously.  
>"Yep. There's nothing you can do." He said confidently.<br>Rose grinned and lifted up his t-shirt.  
>"What are you doing?" He asked nervously.<br>Rose traced her fingers over his back and began tickling him, "Tell me Dunbar, are you ticklish?" She said lightly.  
>Liam twitched. "No." He denied, laughing slightly.<br>Rose moved her hands around to his front and tickled him again. "Really? That's funny, because you're laughing." She said, tickling him harder.  
>Liam shook with laughter and gasped "Okay, okay I'll put you down!" He relented through laughs. Rose stopped.<br>"Good."  
>"HUNTER! DUNBAR! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SPARRING, DO NOT MAKE ME QUESTION MY JUDGEMENT!" Coach yelled from across the room. Liam put Rose back on the floor.<br>"Sorry Coach!" He called.  
>Coach merely shook his head at them. "IF I LOOK AGAIN AND YOU TWO ARENT TRYING TO KILL EACH OTHER I'LL MAKE YOU RUN SUICIDES UNTIL YOU BECOME THE FIRST PEOPLE IN HISTORY TO COMMIT SUICIDE BY SUICIDES."<br>Liam nodded and Rose gave coach a cheerful salute.  
>"You heard the man, let's kill each other," Rose said, swinging at Liam once more.<p>

* * *

><p>Liam and Rose stopped outside of her house and looked at each other, it had been two weeks since they'd first met and if Liam didn't have practice, they walked to and from school together every day.<br>"You know…" Liam said conversationally, "the team has its first game tonight."  
>Rose laughed, "Really?" she questioned sarcastically. "Considering it's all you've talked about for the past two days, I never would have known."<br>Liam rolled his eyes and mock punched her. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Are you coming to watch?" He asked.  
>"Of course I'm coming to watch, I didn't teach you everything you know just to not witness my protégée in action." She teased.<br>"Rose you didn't even know how to hold a crosse until I taught you." Liam pointed out.  
>"What's a crosse?" Rose questioned confusedly.<br>Liam looked at her amusedly, "That's what we call the stick you pick up the ball with, shouldn't you know that? Since you taught me everything I know and all." He said.  
>"Details, details." She dismissed. "But seriously, do you guys get into the whole sports thing? Do I need to wear like a Beacon Hills lacrosse team hoodie or something?"<br>Liam smiled. "Rose are you saying you're going to get into the school spirit?"  
>Rose raised her eyebrows. "Of course, I'm all for school spirit. I was a cheerleader at my old school you know."<br>Liam's mouth dropped and he looked at her in shock. "You… You were a cheerleader?" He stammered in disbelief.  
>Rose laughed, "I know, not exactly what you'd expect from someone like me, but yeah, I get into school spirit."<br>"Well aren't you just full of surprises. Anyway, in answer to your question, yes, ever since we started winning, more people have showed up to the games. Do you have anything in the school colors?" He asked.  
>Rose bit her lip and frowned slightly. "I don't think so, no. Damn it!"<br>Liam smiled and shrugged, "Look, it's not a huge deal. It won't be weird if you just wear regular clothes."  
>Rose stamped her foot on the sidewalk in frustration. "Liam, you're my best friend and the star player of the lacrosse team. I want to support you." She said.<br>"I'm not the star player." He denied.  
>Rose rolled her eyes. "Shut up you totally are."<br>Liam smiled at her, when suddenly a thought occurred to him. Unzipping his backpack, he pulled out his jersey. "Here, wear this, it's my spare jersey. It's clean I swear." He assured, chucking her a maroon colored top.  
>Rose held it up and eyed at Liam suspiciously. "This isn't going to be weird? People wear the jerseys?" She questioned.<br>"Yeah, all the time. Don't worry about it." He assured.  
>"Alright then, I'll see you tonight on the field. Good luck." She said, giving him a quick hug and running inside.<p>

Liam watched her run up the steps and into the house with a smile on his face.

* * *

><p>Rose walked into the game with Nessa and Mason both smirking at her.<br>"What?" She demanded, looking at both of them.  
>"You're wearing Liam's jersey." Nessa said teasingly.<br>"So? Tiffany's wearing a jersey as well, so are you two." Rose pointed out, as she climbed the bleachers and searched for three seats.  
>"Yeah, but Tiffany didn't practically feel Liam up today in gym." Nessa said.<br>"That was you." Mason added, "And besides, that's a players girlfriends thing." He said, gesturing at the jersey.  
>"What is?" Rose questioned, playing with the hem of the shirt.<br>"Wearing the spare jersey, that's a girlfriend thing." Mason stated, climbing the steps.  
>"No it isn't." Rose retorted.<br>"Yes it is." Nessa countered.  
>"No, it isn't." Rose argued.<br>"Yes it is!" Mason sang.  
>Rose blushed. "Shut up. The game's starting."<p>

The players ran out onto the field and Rose followed a certain number nine closely.  
>"Who are they even playing?" She asked.<br>"Have you not listened all week?" Mason questioned incredulously.  
>"I have, but every now and then I tend to tune out, he gets very repetitive if you haven't noticed." Rose said.<br>"Rose, they're playing Devenford Prep." Nessa said.  
>"Liam's old school." Mason added.<br>"Oh…" Rose trailed off in realization.  
>"Yeah. Oh. Some of those players still haven't gotten over the whole car incident." Mason explained.<br>"So this is a grudge match." Nessa explained.

The whistle blew the players sprung into action. Liam was in the center and he quickly scooped up the ball and ran towards the goals. A defender barreled towards him, so he deftly passed it to Stiles. The defender didn't seem to care however, and he barged into Liam at a breakneck pace. Liam quickly sidestepped him, and the player tumbled to the ground.  
>"Yeah Liam!" Rose yelled, whistling at him with her fingers.<br>The ball was headed towards the Beacon Hills goal and Rose watched in anticipation as a player swung the ball into the goals.  
>"Yes!" Rose cheered, embracing Mason quickly.<br>"Our boy is good!" Mason yelled over the crowd.  
>"They grow up so fast!" Rose replied, wiping a fake tear from her eye. Mason laughed and clapped for the team.<p>

Three goals later, the score was three to four, Beacon Hills' way and Rose watched tensely as Scott went into the center against a giant she wasn't entirely sure was still in high school. Suddenly, her phone buzzed in her pocket, she checked the caller ID and saw it was her Mom. She swiped to answer.  
>"Yeah?" She said.<br>"Rose, walk into the parking lot away from the crowd, this isn't a conversation I want to have with other people around who can listen in." Charity demanded.  
>"What?" Rose said into the speaker, struggling to hear her Mother over the roar of the crowd.<br>"Get somewhere no one can hear you sweetie, this is serious."  
>Rose's eyes widened. She gestured to Mason and Nessa that she'd be back in a minute and quickly pushed her way through the crowd and into the parking lot.<p>

"Mom? What is it?" She said, her breath puffing out in a visible cloud.  
>"Rose, they're close." Charity said nervously into the phone.<br>Rose stiffened. "What do you mean they're close?" She countered evenly.  
>"Sweetie, they found a pile of dead bodies in Colorado, someone has killed a whole group of people and stacked the bodies up in some sort of strange pile. The police don't know what to make of it." She explained.<br>"How do you know this?" Rose questioned.  
>"I heard it on the police radio at work."<br>Rose sighed worriedly. "How do you know it's them? It could be any freak serial killer who likes piles of bodies, that doesn't mean it's them."  
>Charity hesitated on the phone.<br>"Mom? What aren't you telling me?" Rose demanded.  
>Charity hesitated again. "Before I tell you this, I just want you to know this isn't your fault Rosie." She said kindly.<br>"Mom! What is it?" Rose demanded.  
>"It's the top body Rose…" Charity trailed off.<br>"What about it Mom! What about the body!" She said, beginning to panic, various grotesque scenes flashing in her minds eye.  
>"There were words carved into the chest of the corpse…" Charity explained.<br>"What were the words?" She said, feeling a ball of panic rise in her throat.  
>"Bad Blood."<p>

Rose's blood ran cold.

* * *

><p><em>Ooooh! <em>_Cliffhanger! What does it mean? And who are the mysterious 'they'? All will be revealed! As always please feel free to leave a review telling me what you think of the plot, characters and so on from the story thus far! Thanks to my beautiful beta reader Halo-Lucinda-Ivy who I secretly think is an angel in disguise. Big thanks must also go to those who have reviewed chapter three and in artificial-paradise's case the preceding chapters as well! Those people are the wonderful celd16, Halo-Lucinda-Ivy (who truly is a beta Goddess) and lenie954. I'll be updating in the next few days, so stay tuned!_

- Ivy


	5. Green Eyed Monster

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf, nor any of its characters.

**CHAPTER FIVE  
><strong>**Green Eyed Monster**

_"O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;_  
><em>It is the green-ey'd monster, which doth mock<em>  
><em>The meat it feeds on." <em>  
><em>― William Shakespeare, Othello <em>

* * *

><p>Rose hung up the phone and stared blankly at the screen.<br>"Bad Blood." She repeated in a pained tone. She ran her fingers through her hair and took a deep breath. "It's okay." She said to herself. "It's not your fault." She repeated, attempting to calm her erratic heartbeat. Taking another deep breath, she turned around, only to have someone yank her wrist and pull her towards them.

* * *

><p>The siren blared for half time and the team quickly gathered around coach. Liam pulled Stiles to the side.<br>"Something's wrong with Rose." He stated seriously.  
>Stiles rolled his eyes and sighed. "Humor me, how do you know?" He asked.<br>"She's not in the stands." He replied.  
>"Liam, she's probably gone to the bathroom." Stiles dismissed, moving to rejoin the team. Liam grabbed him and forced him back to where he was.<br>"Stiles, I have a bad feeling about this. Humor me, just go to the parking lot and make sure she's not in trouble. You're benched anyway." He said.  
>"Why the parking lot?" Stiles questioned tiredly, realizing he was going to end up doing this.<br>"That's where her scent is. Go, now." He said, shoving him in the direction of the parking lot. Stiles sighed exasperatedly and ran.

* * *

><p>"Hey sweetie, mind if we have a quick chat?" Tiffany drawled in a saccharine sweet tone.<br>Rose pulled her wrist out of Tiffany's grip and began to walk away. "Leave me alone Tiffany, I don't have a problem with you, don't make one." She said dismissively.  
>"Hey! I'm not done with you yet!" The girl called.<br>Rose smiled a cold smile, "No, but I'm done with you." She quipped, continuing to walk away.  
>"Come back here bitch!" Tiffany yelled.<br>Rose stopped in her tracks and turned to face her. "What did you just call me?" She asked, deadly calm.  
>Tiffany smirked. "Ooh, touched a nerve there did I? What, were you bullied at your old school Rosie? Is that why you had to encroach on my territory?" She queried, her words dripping with false sympathy.<br>Rose's jaw ticked as she attempted to control her temper. "What do you want Tiffany?" She asked in a tight voice.  
>"Liam Dunbar. Unfortunately you appear to be in the way. What are you guys anyway? Should I be worried?" She questioned, walking closer towards Rose.<br>Rose let out a laugh. "You cornered me in the parking lot to ask me about boys? Grow up."  
>"Answer the question bitch." Tiffany demanded, crossing her tanned arms across her tiny frame.<br>Rose rolled her eyes and took a step towards the girl. "Liam and I are friends, that's all. So by all means, rub your two brain cells together and attempt your conquest. Just don't bother me again."  
>"Good to hear. Liam's not stupid enough to go out with an ugly thing like you anyway. Too-da-loo bitch." She said, waggling her fingers in Rose's face and sauntering off.<br>Rose tensed and watched her walk away for a moment, before walking up and grabbing her by the wrist, yanking her down and looking her directly in the eye. "Now listen here, _sweetie, _I just received some really bad news; the kind of news that generally leaves people quite tense, and then you came along, with your adorable high school threats and pretty girl privilege. Now, I'm in an even worse mood, worse than what I was before you came along and decided you wanted to play Mean Girls with me so now I'm not just pissed, I'm very, very pissed. So let's keep this short." Rose snarled.

Tiffany struggled under Rose's grip and looked at her with widened eyes. "Ow! Rose, you're hurting me!" She whined, clawing at her arm.  
>Rose tightened her grip "Good." She stated then continued, "Stay away from me and my friends, that includes Liam; or we're gonna have another cute parking lot rendezvous, except this time I'll be the one sneaking up on you. Got it?" She questioned in fury.<br>Tiffany nodded, terrified. Rose released her wrist and pushed her away from her. "Good, now get out of my sight." She advised in cold fury. Tiffany scampered off, clutching her wrist.  
>Rose closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Don't let her ruin your night, be calm." She murmured to herself, walking back to the game hurriedly.<br>Stiles peeked from behind his Jeep, swearing he could've seen a telltale flash of blue in Rose's eyes.  
>"Surely not..." He muttered to himself, before standing up and similarly returning to the game.<p>

* * *

><p>Rose jogged up the bleachers and rejoined Mason and Nessa. "Everything okay?" Mason asked worriedly.<br>"You were gone for a long time." Nessa said.  
>Rose took a deep breath, then flashed a smile at her two friends. "Yeah fine, my Mom just wanted to confirm I was staying at yours tonight." She chriped, looking at Nessa.<br>Nessa nodded and returned her attention to the game.  
>"How are we doing?" Rose asked Mason.<br>"Good, your boy's played a good game, we're close though and there's not that much time left." Mason replied.  
>Rose smiled, "Do you think we'll win?" She asked, attempting to push her anxiety aside for the rest of the night.<br>"If Liam keeps playing the way he is? Absolutely." Mason nodded.  
>Liam then got the ball and ran towards the goals, shooting it in, the crows erupted in cheers.<br>"Go Liam!" Rose yelled.  
>"And if you keep cheering him on, I have a feeling nothing could stop him." Mason commented wryly.<br>Rose elbowed him playfully. "Shut up, you're just jealous I have a hot lacrosse player and you don't."  
>"You have a hot lacrosse player?" Mason repeated teasingly, cheering as Beacon Hills scored another goal.<br>Rose whipped her head to look at Mason and covered her hand over her mouth. "You… You know what I mean." She stammered, blushing furiously.  
>"Oh yeah, I <em>know <em>what you _mean_." He said meaningfully, giving her a wink.  
>Rose turned an even darker red. "I didn't mean it like that." She explained.<br>"Sure you didn't" Mason replied, dropping it and smirking to himself.  
>Rose mentally cursed herself and returned her attention to the game. There were mere seconds left, and she watched as Scott powered across the field in a mad dash for a final goal. The seconds ticked down, and Rose watched tensely as he went for goal and… It went in. The siren blared and the Beacon Hills crowed roared.<br>"Yes!" Rose cried, punching her fist into the air and embracing Mason.  
>"Victory!" He crowed, jumping with her on the stands.<p>

The three friends quickly ran onto the pitch and congratulated the team as they walked back to the locker rooms. Rose met Liam just as he was about to enter.  
>"Nice job Dunbar." She said, leaning against the building.<br>Liam mussed up his hair and smiled at her. "Thanks Hunter."  
>"You going to the party?" She questioned.<br>Liam nodded.  
>"Awesome, I'll see you there." She said. "Oh and Liam?" She called, as she was walking away.<br>"Yeah?"  
>"I wasn't lying when I said being good at lacrosse made you hot." She said, smirking.<br>Liam grinned to himself and entered the locker room.

* * *

><p>"Good job boys! Try not to get too inebriated at your victory party tonight, because for every severely hung-over lacrosse player I see at training tomorrow, I'll add another lap." Coach warned.<br>The team laughed, and then whooped in celebration.  
>"Party!" A boy yelled, and they all cheered.<br>"You know what girls love more than a guy in uniform?" One player questioned. "A guy in uniform who just won his first game of the season!" He replied. The team cheered and slapped each other on the back.  
>"Dude, we're all gonna get so many girls tonight!" another player yelled.<br>"Well, everyone except Stilinski and McCall!" Someone said. "Because they've got girlfriends!" He sang.  
>"Sucks to be you bros!" A player called.<br>"And let's not forget little Dunbar." A player said, smirking at Liam. "Dunbar is _so_ whipped by the new girl."  
>"I am not!" Liam defended.<br>"Dude, you so are, you have that hottie Tiffany practically begging to make-out with you but all you do is have eye sex with Rose Hunter." He said, flicking Liam with his towel.  
>Liam rolled his eyes and flicked his towel back. "Whatever Johnson. I flirt with who I want, Rose or Tiffany."<p>

* * *

><p>The party was booming by the time Rose, Mason and Nessa arrived.<br>"How insane do you guys get at your parties?" She asked, looking at the enormous amount of cars parked in the street.  
>"Well, answer this equation for me: teenagers, plus music, plus booze, equals what?" Nessa questioned.<br>"I see." Rose muttered, it had been a while since she'd been to a party, and she wasn't sure if she was entirely ready for the onslaught of music, body odor and drunk teenagers yet.  
>"Come on, it'll be fun. Besides, we may very well finally witness a Rose and Liam kiss tonight, if you two are drunk enough." Mason teased, nudging her.<br>Rose rolled her eyes. "Liam and I are friends, that's it, and besides, I don't drink." She said simply.  
>Mason and Nessa looked at each other. "Whatever Rose." They chimed in unison.<p>

They walked into the party and the thud of the bass and the chatter of the various students soon enveloped Rose.  
>"Where to first?" Rose yelled at Mason over the din.<br>"Kitchen, I need a drink to be able to deal with the hearing loss I'm going to receive tonight." Mason said.  
>"Follow me!" Nessa ordered, weaving through a group of seniors.<p>

Nessa and Mason arrived in the kitchen and soon received a suspicious red cup each. Nessa handed one to Rose. She made to refuse but Nessa shoved one in her hand.  
>"Even if you don't drink it, it keeps people from asking questions and pressuring you. Just pretend to sip it every now and then and people will leave you alone." She yelled into Rose's ear.<br>Rose nodded and took the cup.  
>"Now let's go dance!" Mason cheered, walking towards the dance floor. The three danced together for a while, Mason was twirling her around when she caught sight of Liam.<br>"I'm gonna go talk to Liam, I'll see you guys later!" Rose yelled. Mason and Nessa wiggled their eyebrows and grinned at her.  
>"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Mason called at her retreating back. Rose laughed and shook her head.<p>

Squeezing past a couple, she caught sight of Liam again, only this time he was talking to Tiffany, and they were very, _very _close. Tiffany giggled ridiculously at something Liam said and grabbed his shoulder, using it as support as she reached up onto her tiptoes to whisper something in his ear. Rose gritted her teeth and stalked into the corner of the room to calm herself down, gripping her cup tightly.  
>"Can this night actually get any worse?" She wondered aloud to herself.<br>"I don't know, but maybe I can help make it better?" A masculine voice replied casually. Rose looked up and met the eyes of a tall, attractive guy she'd never seen before.  
>"I don't know… Can you?" She challenged flirtatiously, feeling herself release her reservations and thoughts about Liam for a moment.<br>"Let's find out, Brett Talbot." The guy said, holding out his hand. Rose clasped his hand and shook it.  
>"A handshake, how gentlemanly Brett." She teased, flashing him a smile.<br>"I do try… I'm sorry what's your name?" He yelled over the noise of the party.  
>Rose raised herself onto her tippy toes and leaned into him. "Rose, Rose Hunter." She said into his ear.<br>Brett smiled at her, "Well, Rose, Rose Hunter, how about we go somewhere a little more quiet and have a chat?" He suggested.  
>"Oh no," Rose said, making sure Liam was in eyesight. "I'm good right here, but maybe we can sit down?" She said, gesturing at a couch even closer to the Liam and Tiffany action. Brett shrugged, "Okay." He said, placing his hand on her back and guiding her towards the couch. She caught Liam's eye and shot him a toothy grin and a friendly wave. His expression darkened at the sight of Brett, and Rose snickered to herself.<br>"So what, are you Dunbar's girlfriend or something?" He questioned, gesturing at Rose's jersey.  
>"Oh no, Liam and I are just friends. He's over there with a girl right now, look if you don't believe me." Rose replied, laughingly gesturing at Liam and Tiffany.<br>Brett grinned at her and tilted his head to the side, "Funny, because you're exactly his type."  
>"And what type is that?" She questioned challengingly.<br>"Long brown hair, smart, witty and hot. I'm a little bit confused why he isn't over here instead of me." Brett commented.  
>Rose laughed, "That's a question for Liam now isn't it? How do you know so much about him anyway?" She questioned.<br>"I used to be one of his best friends, before he ruined coach's car and transferred." Brett explained, resting his arm across her shoulders.  
>Rose raised her eyebrows. "I heard about that."<br>"Yeah, hey listen I have to go now, but how would you feel about a date Monday night?" He asked, getting his phone out.  
>Rose glanced at Liam hesitantly, but he seemed enthralled in conversation with Tiffany. "I'd love to, give me your phone and I'll put my number in, here's mine." She said, handing him her phone.<br>Brett keyed his number in and handed her back her phone. "See you Monday night." He said, kissing her lightly on the cheek.  
>Rose smiled as he walked away and snuck a look at Liam. He caught her gaze and stared at her furiously, fists clenched. This only made Rose smile wider.<p>

* * *

><p>"So what, you just thought it would be a grand idea to agree to go on a date with a guy who has a long history of clashing with Liam?" Mason asked furiously.<br>"Liam and his history don't get to determine who I do and don't go out with." Rose replied evenly, placing her lunch on the ground and resting against the tree.  
>"But still! Do you not realize how pissed he is?" Nessa queried, sitting down opposite her.<br>Rose took a bite from her apple and shrugged, "Good."  
>"No, not good. Not. Good. Liam mad? Not a good thing, at all. Ever." Mason said, placing his lunch on the ground.<br>Rose rolled her eyes, "He's a big boy, and besides, we've never been anything more than friends. I'm not going out with Brett to make Liam mad, I'm going out with Brett because he's cute and a nice guy." Rose said.  
>"Whatever, just keep quiet about it, because Liam's coming this way." Nessa advised.<p>

"Hey." Liam greeted tightly, looking directly at Rose.  
>"Hi." She said breezily, smiling at him and taking another bite from her apple. "Missed you this morning." She commented.<br>"Yeah, sorry I woke up late." He muttered.  
>Rose beamed at him. "It's fine. But look, Nessa and I have to go get our chemistry marks, so we'll see you later boys."<br>Nessa looked at Rose curiously, but quickly caught on. "Right, chemistry marks. Bye boys!" She said, standing up quickly.  
>Rose smiled and flounced away without another word.<br>"Screw him and his stupid moodiness." Rose murmured to Nessa.  
>Nessa laughed, "You totally like him!" She accused.<br>"I do _not." _Rose defended. "I just think, if he's gonna let Malibu Barbie drape herself all over him, I'm sticking around to watch her leech off of him."  
>"You like him! That whole exchange was so awkward!" Nessa continued.<br>"I do _not, _now tell me what you think of this outfit for tonight." Rose said, pulling out her phone and effectively changing the subject.

* * *

><p>"Brett! Of all people she had to go on a date with, she picked Brett!" Liam said, pacing furiously across the grass.<br>Mason smirked. "Well, you kind of gave him an open invitation with the way you were so intensely involved with Tiffany the other night." Mason pointed out.  
>"Are you kidding me? She would leave me alone! All I wanted to do was have a good night and then Brett ruined it."<br>Mason sighed. "You can't blame this on Brett, you brought this on yourself. Why were you even talking to Tiff?" Mason questioned.  
>Liam hesitated. Mason raised an eyebrow at him,<br>"Some of the guys were giving me crap about Rose, saying I was whipped." Liam explained.  
>"Which you totally are." Mason interrupted.<br>Liam gave Mason a look that clearly said 'shut-up.' "Anyway, I said I flirted with whomever I liked, Tiff or Rose."  
>"So you let a bunch of meathead jocks talk you into flirting with a girl you don't even find attractive." Mason deduced.<br>Liam paused. "When you put it like that…" He said.  
>"It sounds like what, the truth? You're an idiot Liam, Brett's going to take Rose out tonight, invariably sweep her off her feet and seal the whole thing with the kiss you could've had if you hadn't been such an idiot." Mason said.<br>Liam looked at him furiously.  
>"But that's not important. What's important is that LIAM DUNBAR IS IN LOVE!" Mason yelled across the schoolyard, laughing.<br>Liam's eyes widened "I am not in love!" He defended.  
>"Oh you totally are," Mason replied, standing up and grabbing Liam's chin. "Look at you with your cute jealousy and your barely reigned in fury at the thought of your girl out with another guy. It's adorable." Mason teased, ruffling his friend's hair. "I was right from the beginning, you love Rose!"<br>Liam mussed up the back of his head and shrugged. "It doesn't matter anyway, because she's going out with Brett tonight and there's nothing I can do about it." He said dejectedly, throwing his lunch in the trash and stalking off.

* * *

><p>Rose heard a knock at the door and rushed to answer it.<br>"Mom! He's here, I'll be back later!" She called. Quickly slipping out, she smiled at Brett. "Hey there handsome." She greeted.  
>He smiled at her. "Hey, you ready to go?"<br>Rose grinned and nodded. "Sure am, where are we off to?"  
>"Cinemas, there's a new romantic comedy I thought would be cool." He explained.<br>Rose inwardly noted that Liam would probably never take her to a rom-com, and would probably have chosen the latest action film, but she quickly scolded herself and smiled at Brett.  
>"Sounds great." She said, adjusting her bag on her shoulder and walking down the stairs.<p>

* * *

><p>Liam's fists slammed into the punching bag over and over again as he tried to block out the thoughts of Rose out on a date with <em>him<em>. The bag swung wildly and eventually Liam roared and hit the bag with such force the chain snapped and the bag fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Liam let out a cry of frustration and kicked the bag.

* * *

><p>It was not great.<p>

The movie was cringe worthy and Rose struggled not to fall asleep throughout the entire thing. Brett was cute though, so she sat through it and silently willed the whole thing to be over as soon as possible. She amused herself by thinking of what Liam must've been doing at that moment. Probably talking to Tiffany, she thought sourly, scrunching up her face. She then pictured the different ways she could beat-up Tiffany and sighed contentedly. She was so caught up in her daydream of round housing her, she didn't even notice Brett drape his arm around the back of her chair.

* * *

><p>Liam put the punching bag back up and resumed beating the thing senselessly. His fists bled, then healed instantly over and over again as images of Rose and Brett laughing and kissing played over and over again in his mind. His eyes flashed gold at the thought of it, and he clawed the bag ruthlessly, letting the insides spill out onto the floor. Staring at the mess he made, he sighed to himself and shook his head.<br>"I always ruin _everything." _He stated.

* * *

><p>Rose walked up her porch steps and smiled at Brett. "Thanks for tonight, I had a nice time." She said lightly, climbing up the stairs to her porch.<br>"Me too, it was nice to do something normal for once, life can get pretty crazy around here." Brett admitted, sticking his hands in his pockets.  
>"Trust me, I know how you feel. " Rose confided. "Well thanks again, goodnight." She said, moving to open the door.<br>"Wait." Brett said, pulling her closer to him. He bent down to kiss her, but Rose turned her cheek.  
>"Like I said, I had a really great time tonight, but maybe this should be a one-time thing." She whispered kindly.<br>Brett smiled at her and shrugged. "I kind of figured." He said, he began walking down the steps, but turned around quickly. "Promise me something though." He said suddenly.  
>"What is it?" Rose asked.<br>Brett smiled at her "Give Dunbar a shot, he's a good kid deep down, he just tends to get led astray every now and then." He explained.  
>Rose smiled. "I'll think about it." She promised, opening the door and slipping inside.<p>

* * *

><p>Rose read Nessa's text again as she walked into school: MEET ME AT LIAM'S LOCKER WE HAVE TO TALK. Rose frowned slightly, but shrugged and continued on her way. She stopped at Liam's locker, only to find he was the only one there, no Nessa in sight.<p>

"Hey." Rose said.  
>"Hey. Have you seen Mason?" Liam asked shortly, not looking at her.<br>"No. I haven't." She replied. There was a pregnant pause between them. "How are you?" She asked, attempting to fill the awkward silence.  
>"Good, you?" He said. "How was your date?" He queried, his jaw ticking slightly.<br>"It was okay." She replied. Kicking the ground with her shoes.  
>"That's it." She heard, before being grabbed from behind and shoved in a supply closet along with Liam.<br>Nessa and Mason slammed the door shut and grinned at each other, before turning the key in the door and locking the two teenagers in there.  
>"Alright listen up lovebirds." Nessa said against the doorframe.<br>Rose banged against the door in response. "Let us out!" She commanded, but her voice was muffled behind the door, so Mason and Nessa pretended not to hear her and continued.  
>"Nessa and I have concluded that you two are even more insufferable when you're fighting and being jealous idiots, than normal, when you're denying your undying love for one another. So we're not unlocking this closet until you two kiss and make up, in the literal sense of the phrase if you have to, or at least until you can act like friends again. Do we make ourselves clear?" Mason said, banging on the door.<br>"Let us out of here!" Liam demanded.  
>"Perfect. See you at recess kids." Mason said dismissively, walking away.<p>

Liam turned on Rose and looked at her furiously. "This is your fault!" He accused.  
>Rose snorted, crossed her arms over her chest and leant against a shelf, there was limited space in the locker room, so she and Liam were practically chest-to-chest. "Please explain to me how this is my fault Dunbar." She retorted.<br>"If you hadn't gone on a date to make me jealous…" He began, but Rose interrupted him.  
>"Not what happened, the world does not revolve around you Dunbar." She responded.<br>"Fine, please explain to me why we're in freaking supply closet of all places Hunter!" Liam snarled.  
>"You were weird about the date." She said simply, looking up at him challengingly.<br>"Was not."  
>"Were so."<br>"Was not."  
>"Were so, now shut up and let me speak." She commanded. Liam fell silent and looked at her in frustrated anticipation.<br>"My date with Brett wasn't great, I don't even know why I'm telling you this because it's none of your business but there, and I'm not seeing him again." She said.  
>"Why wasn't it great?" He questioned, visibly relaxing.<br>"I had something else on my mind." She said shortly.

"What's going on? Is everything okay?" He asked worriedly, his mood shifting dramatically to concern.  
>Rose softened and smiled at him. "Everything's fine just… Family stuff. I don't wanna talk about it."<br>Liam breathed out. "Okay. As long as you're okay." He said, looking down at her and running his hands up and down her arms. Rose nodded and smiled. "I'm fine." She said.  
>"Good. You'd tell me if something was off, wouldn't you?" He questioned, looking in her eyes.<br>Rose hesitated for a fraction of a second, and thought of the corpse with words carved into its chest. "Of course." She lied.

Liam looked at her for a moment; she smiled weakly and then hugged him. They stood in the supply closet embracing in silence. Rose held on to Liam tightly, closed her eyes and tried not to cry.  
>"I'm sorry." He whispered, stroking her hair.<br>"It's okay, just don't do that closed off thing again, it frightens me." She replied.  
>Liam tightened his grip on her. "Promise." He said into her hair.<br>"I need you Liam, you're my best friend. I need you to be there for me." She said.  
>Liam frowned slightly, realizing she was talking about more than just his jealousy over the date. He rubbed her back and nodded. "It's okay, you know I'll be here when you want to talk, yeah?" He questioned.<br>Rose sobbed, "Yeah."

The two stood in silence for a moment.  
>"Friends again?" Rose whispered.<br>Liam laughed and kissed the top of her head. "Of course." He assured.  
>Rose laughed weakly. "Good." She replied.<p>

Liam sat down on the floor, leant against a shelf and pulled Rose into his lap.  
>"I have a feeling we might be here for a long time, and I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, neither did you by the sound of it. So let's just relax for a moment." Liam advised.<br>Rose nodded silently and cuddled into Liam's chest.  
>"Thanks Liam." She said simply, closing her eyes.<p>

* * *

><p>"I WANT HER FOUND!" Jeremy roared at the assembled mercenaries. They stared at him in silence.<br>"Where would you suggest we begin sir?" Their leader questioned.  
>Jeremy paced madly across the room, "I don't know, I don't know, where would she go? Where would she go?" He muttered to himself. He stopped in his tracks and looked at the mercenaries with a mad grin. "Start with the main packs. She's a manipulative and charming little bitch, always had allies, and always made <em>friends <em>wherever she went. Yes, yes, start with the other main packs; find them, if they don't have her torture them for information, if they're not forthcoming, kill them all. Every, last ONE OF THEM." He yelled.  
>Scarlett sighed and rolled her eyes. "Are you sure that's wise little brother? Killing some of the most powerful werewolf families in America one by one? You're going to start a war over a little omega you don't even care about." She said in an almost bored tone, picking her nails.<br>"I care about her. She humiliated me, and is further doing so by evading my attempts to find her!" He snarled. "It's the principle of the matter!"  
>"So our orders are what exactly, sweep west until we annihilate every powerful werewolf family in the US, torture them and then kill them?" The mercenary leader, Mark, questioned emotionlessly.<br>Jeremy smiled as inspiration suddenly struck him. "Oh no, don't just kill them." He said. "I want you to pile their bodies up, and when you kill the alpha of the pack, you place him or her on top and carve her words into their chest. I want Aurora to KNOW that it was her who killed these people. Oh you may have swung the blade, but she forced my hand!" Jeremy raved.

The mercenary sighed and raised his eyebrow. "What are the words exactly, sir?" He asked.  
>"Bad Blood. I want you to carve Bad Blood into every Alpha you kill." Jeremy stated, grinning sadistically.<p>

* * *

><p><em>As always feel feel free to review! Thanks to artificial-paradises, crimson_sun06 and CassieD1 for reviewing last chapter, and of course to the wonderful Halo-Lucinda-Ivy for beta-ing!<br>New chapter soon as the plot thickens!_

- Ivy


	6. True Horror

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf, nor any of its characters.

**CHAPTER SIX**  
><strong>True Horror<strong>

_"We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones." _  
><em>― Stephen King<em>

* * *

><p>"Now, I don't know about you… But it looks to me like my boys and I decimated your pack pretty easily, so you're not exactly in a position to be withholding information." Mark stated conversationally, circling around the Alpha, who was chained into an electric chair.<br>"I told you I don't know anything." The Alpha replied emotionlessly.  
>Mark sighed and dipped his blade in wolfsbane once more.<br>"You know that is a real shame Luke, because all we're trying to do here is reunite the girl with her family, but you're holding back from us… We can tell, can't we boys?" Mark said to his team, before carving another letter into Luke's chest.  
>Luke roared in agony. "I don't know anything!" He said.<br>Mark sighed and carved another letter. "That's upsetting." He commented. "Only one letter left Lukey-boy, are you sure you don't have any info for us before we kill you?" He questioned.  
>Luke whimpered and spat out some blood onto the floor. "If I tell you, will you kill me quickly?" He begged.<br>Mark grinned. "Of course, that's the least we can do." He assured.  
>Luke sighed, then spat in Marks face, "Tell Jeremy to go screw himself." He advised.<br>Mark tutted and shook his head. "Wrong answer Luke, that's so disappointing." He said disappointedly. "Zap him boys!" He ordered.  
>Luke's screams filled the room in a macabre opera, eventually his screams died down and a deafening silence filled the room.<br>"WE NEED TO FIND HER!" Mark roared in frustration, lodging his knife in Luke's temple and stalking out of the toom.

* * *

><p>The rain poured down around Aurora as she ran down the alleyway, finally coming to a halt at her destination. She knocked three times on the door, paused and then knocked once more. There was a moment of silence and then the door swung open.<br>A face peered out into the darkness, and grinned a gold-toothed smile upon recognition. "Aurora Lyall, sister to Jeremy Lyall, the most powerful man in Chicago. How interesting, do come in my dear." The man said.  
>"Thank you. She muttered, stepping out of the rain and into the room.<br>"Please follow me, I am most interested to hear this story." He said, walking down the hallway.  
>Aurora removed her hood and followed the man down the corridor. He took a sharp left and unlocked a door that opened into a sitting room. "Sit down." He commanded, gesturing at an armchair.<br>Aurora sat and crossed her legs, regarding the man inquisitively for a moment before she finally spoke. "I hear you can make people disappear." She stated.  
>The man relaxed into his chair and regarded her. "How interesting. Why would the wealthiest girl in Chicago want to disappear? Boyfriend troubles?" He questioned condescendingly.<br>Aurora snorted. "Hardly. What's your price?" She asked.  
>The man stood up and studied her. "For you? Expensive, not only because I know you can afford it, but hiding from a family like yours is difficult, the Lyalls are so very connected you see."<br>"How much?" Aurora asked.  
>"Fifteen thousand dollars." He countered.<br>"Done." She replied.  
>The man raised his eyebrows at her. "Fascinating…" He trailed off.<br>"We start now." She stated, standing up.  
>The man grinned. "Oh I do so love a challenge." He said, his teeth flashing.<p>

Aurora sat down and tried not to let the sensation of being watched by a team of strangers affect her too much.  
>"Right, the first thing is hair. Stop dying it blonde, we've returned it to its natural color and given you some extensions, you'll wear these until your hair grows out to a suitable length, The longer the better, we've looked at our records of you and you've had blonde, shoulder length, pin straight hair for the last ten years. That stops now. Stop straightening it too, keep your natural waves." A woman commanded.<br>"Okay." Aurora replied.  
>"The next order of business is your weight, what are you? A hundred and ten pounds? We've created a diet and training program that you will follow to a tee, it's going to make you look athletic, toned, but not bulky. You've been rich girl thin for long enough that people won't be looking for an athletic build when they eventually make your missing persons case national. Are we clear?" Another woman demanded. Aurora nodded.<br>"No more cute girl dresses either. No pinks, no yellows, no bows… Anything that's in the slightest but feminine, you stay away from. Your new look is tough girl chic, got it?" A stylist said from the corner of the room. "Bite your nails to keep them short, no manicures ever again, got it?"  
>Aurora nodded again, trying to process all of the information at once.<br>"Finally, we've created a series of different social media sites for your new identities, there are four in total. That way, if anyone tries to look into your alias' past, they won't find anything suspicious."  
>"Right then, here are your documents, birth certificate, passport, drivers license, etcetera. Don't go overseas for a good six months, they'll be expecting that. Hide in small towns and try not to attract too much attention." The man advised.<br>"Okay Aurora Lyall… Meet Bonnie Cartwright." He said, spinning her around to face a mirror.

The girl looking back at her looked nothing like Aurora Lyall… And she loved it.

* * *

><p>"Authorities are still searching for missing teen Aurora Lyall, and beg anyone with information concerning her whereabouts to come forward. We now have her older brother Jeremy Lyall with us tonight. Jeremy, do you have anything to say to Aurora, if she can hear you?" The reporter questioned sympathetically.<br>Jeremy wiped some tears from his eyes and looked pleadingly into the camera. "Aurora, if you can hear me… Please come home. We miss you and I just want you to know I'm doing everything I can to find you. If I have anything to do with it, you'll be home as soon as possible."

Stiles sighed and turned off the television.  
>"Something's off about that guy." Malia commented, narrowing her eyes at the screen.<br>Stiles looked at her quizzically. "What do you mean? He's just trying to find his sister, I feel sorry for the guy." He admitted.  
>"Don't." Malia advised.<br>Stiles shook his head. "Sometimes I feel like the whole world is falling apart, we've got this poor girl who's probably been abducted by a bunch of thugs, and a group of serial killers leaving bodies across the nation with the words Bad Blood carved into their victims chests." He said exasperatedly.

Suddenly, Stiles heard a knock on the door, opening it up; Lydia barged in and looked at Stiles and Malia.  
>"They're not separate." She said, looking at Stiles.<br>Stiles' eyes widened in realization.  
>"What?" Malia questioned.<br>"They're not separate." Stiles repeated, running upstairs to his bedroom, Lydia quickly followed him. Malia padded calmly after them and shut the door behind her.  
>"What do you mean?" She asked the two.<br>"They're not separate events. They're connected, the killings and Aurora Lyall case. It's the same people." Lydia explained, as Stiles typed madly into his computer and began printing documents off.  
>"How do you know?" Malia questioned confusedly.<br>"The M.O… The Bad Blood killers are moving West. They started in Colorado, the next pile of bodies was found in Utah..." Lydia trailed off.  
>Stiles stuck a map of the US on his board and traced the journey of the Bad Blood killers with his fingers. "My Dad mentioned the other day it was like these guys are looking for something…" Stiles added.<br>"So what… They're looking for this Aurora girl?" Malia suggested.  
>"Yes." Lydia confirmed.<br>He quickly got on his laptop and printed a photo of Aurora off; he stuck it in the middle of his board and looked at it curiously.  
>"She's from Chicago." Lydia stated, looking at the map.<br>"Illinois, she's from Illinois. No wonder they're moving west…" Stiles trailed off.  
>"Bad Blood. What does that even mean?" Lydia questioned.<br>Stiles ran a hand through his hair. "The profilers think it's some form of signature, a calling card so to speak. They said it seems like the killers are almost trying to reach out to someone, send a message."  
>Lydia nodded. "Okay, so its designed to receive attention... What if it's for Aurora? Like some kind of warning?"<br>Stiles nodded. "That would make sense." He admitted.  
>"Hang on, wait a second. If the Bad Blood people are looking for Aurora Lyall, that means they don't have her." Malia stated, standing up and studying the photo curiously.<br>Stiles stepped back and looked at the board.  
>"Which means she either ran away… " Lydia suggested.<br>"Or was kidnapped by someone else entirely." Stiles said in wonder, running his hands through his hair, before drawing a figure with a question mark in the middle of his board.  
>"Why though?" Malia asked.<br>Stiles stood in silence and bit his lip. "I don't know." He admitted.  
>Lydia sighed in frustration. "It doesn't make any sense… I get she's from a wealthy family, but if they wanted money they'd have demanded a ransom by now; she's been missing for months. If they were going to kill her, we would know about it by now, surely."<br>"I don't understand why this is our problem, as far as I can tell it's just another bad thing that humans have done to other humans. Not our concern." Malia stated.  
>Stiles shook his head, "No... No I think this is our problem. My Dad told me something the other day, they kept it from the public because it seemed so minor; there were traces of wolfsbane in the victims wounds."<p>

Suddenly, Stiles' phone buzzed in his pocket, he jumped in surprise, but quickly answered it.  
>"Derek?" He questioned quizzically.<br>"Stiles, the Bad Blood murders and the Aurora Lyall case are linked." Derek said urgently into the phone.  
>Stiles nodded. "I know, I know, the killers, they're looking for Aurora… But why? Hang on, I'll put you on speaker, Lydia and Malia are here." Stiles said, pacing furiously across the room.<br>"The Lyalls are a family of werewolves, they span back generations which means they're powerful… Really powerful. My family and theirs used to meet up every now and then, I know Aurora, she's a sweet girl." Derek explained.  
>"And? What does that mean?" Stiles prompted.<br>"It means that if they want Aurora found, they'll find her; one way or another." Derek said tightly.  
>"What does that mean? Drop the mysterious werewolf act." Stiles demanded in exasperation.<br>Derek sighed. "The Lyalls, especially Jeremy, the head of the family; would do _anything _to get Aurora back. They might even kill people."  
>"The Bad Blood killers… They're not random thugs, they're hired mercenaries from the Lyalls." Lydia realised.<br>"Exactly." Derek stated. "If someone took Aurora, it means they're powerful enough to not have to worry about the Lyalls coming down hard on them."  
>"So… What are we talking here, another alpha pack?" Stiles said.<br>"I don't think so, a pack would attract too much attention. This is a one… Maybe two person job." Derek said.  
>"I still don't see how this is our problem." Malia muttered.<br>"This is our problem because a true Alpha is someone who could probably stand up to the Lyalls, someone like Scott would become suspicious to them really quickly." Derek explained.  
>"But they don't know about Scott." Stiles said.<br>"Not yet." Derek said.  
>"There's something else." Lydia said in a faint voice, staring into the distance.<br>"What?" Derek, Stiles and Malia questioned in unison.  
>"Aurora Lyall doesn't exist anymore." Lydia said with dread.<br>"Does that mean she's dead?" Malia asked.  
>"I don't know… It feels different to when I usually feel deaths, but I think that might be because she's a werewolf." Lydia explained.<p>

Stiles ran his hands through his hair in shock and eyed the two girls.  
>"This is officially our problem." He stated.<p>

* * *

><p>Deputy Parrish knocked on the Sherriff's office door.<br>"Come in Parrish." Stilinski said, looking up from his paperwork.  
>Parrish entered the office and locked the door behind him. "Uh, Sherriff, I have some information regarding the Bad Blood murders you should probably know." Parrish said hesitantly.<br>Sherriff Stilinski sat up straighter and gestured for Parrish to sit down. "What is it Parrish?" He questioned.  
>Parrish rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the Sherriff. "Well, it's a couple of things sir actually. The first thing you should know is that we just got a call from the F.B.I… We're on high alert sir, because these killers are striking small towns and are moving west pretty quickly. It's looking like if they don't stop in Nevada, they'll be coming straight for us Sir." He confessed.<br>The Sherriff adjusted his weight, "You're telling me things I already know Deputy, what's the real news here? What's the reason you locked my door?" The Sherriff questioned.  
>Parrish hesitated. "I think we should call Lydia." He advised.<br>"Why would you say that?" The Sherriff said.  
>Parrish dropped a file on the Sherriff's desk. "They've just sent us the crime scene photos from the Colorado kill." Parrish explained. "The final victim who had the words carved into him had red eyes and claws Sir."<p>

The Sherriff reached for his phone and called his son.  
>"Excuse me Parrish, I have to make a call." He replied.<p>

* * *

><p>"Scott!" Stiles yelled into his phone.<br>Scott pulled the phone away from his ear "Yes Stiles?" He questioned calmly.  
>"Werewolves. They're killing packs of werewolves. We're in danger; YOU'RE in danger more than anyone really. Forget about Rose being dangerous, we may have professional serial killers after us… Again." Stiles said breathlessly.<br>"Woah, woah, Stiles calm down! Who's killing who?" Scott demanded.  
>"The Bad Blood Killers, they're killing off packs and carving words into the Alpha's chest, and Scott… They're headed our way." Stiles warned.<p>

Scott's eyes widened and he dropped the phone.

* * *

><p>"Alright then, I need those questions done by Monday morning kids, don't think I'll forget, because I won't." Mr. Edwards said tiredly, as his math class assembled their books and walked out.<br>"I'd like to take this opportunity to thank God for the weekend, that was really cool of you." Rose praised.  
>Liam laughed. "You're an idiot." He stated, looking at her in amusement.<br>"Yeah, but I'm your favorite idiot." Rose teased.  
>Nessa gave a contented sigh. "And all was right in the world once more." She said, looking at Liam and Rose.<br>Mason scoffed. "Please, I won't be happy until they're together." He said.  
>"Hey, at least they're not fighting." Nessa said, shrugging.<p>

Liam stopped at Rose's locker "Are you doing anything tonight?" He asked.  
>Rose bit her lip, "I don't think so, why?" She questioned, packing her books into her bag.<br>"What would you say to a movie night with the one and only Liam Dunbar?" He asked, grinning at her.  
>Rose smiled. "I would say that sounds like an excellent idea, what genre are you thinking?'<br>"Hmm, well you love action movies, I know that, but seeing as it's my movie night, at my house, we're going to watch horror movies Rose Hunter." He stated.  
>Rose winced. "Liam."<br>"Yeah babe?"  
>"I hate horror movies, they freaking terrify me." She said, shouldering her backpack and closing her locker.<br>"It's a good thing you have me to protect you then, isn't it?" He said, walking with her.  
>Rose sighed. "Fine."<br>"Excellent. Let's go to your house, you can get your stuff and I'll get my Mom to pick us up so I don't have to carry your stuff to my house." He said, getting his phone out and texting his Mom.  
>"So you won't have to carry my stuff?" She questioned.<br>Liam smiled. "Well I'd invariably end up carrying your stuff, not because you're not strong enough, but because you get sick of duffel bags hitting your legs as you walk."  
>Rose raised her eyebrows at him. "Good pick up." She commented.<br>Liam tapped the side of his nose. "I'm an observant guy Rose."

Liam was waiting for Rose to pack her things in the sitting room when Charity came home.  
>"Hi Mrs. Hunter." He greeted breezily.<br>"How are you sweetie, do you want something to drink while you wait?" Charity asked, dropping her keys in the bowl and waltzing to the kitchen.  
>"Nah, I'm fine Mrs. Hunter, thanks though. Are you sure you're okay with Rose coming over tonight?" He questioned.<br>Charity smiled at him. "Liam, you are the best thing to happen to my daughter in a long time, you know that don't you?"  
>Liam blushed and mussed up the back of his head. "Thanks Mrs. H." He said.<br>"You're more than welcome honey, but I'm just warning you now that I trust you implicitly with my daughter. You're a good kid, I know you won't take advantage of her, but if you do something to break her trust I will find you and I will hurt you… Severely. Am I clear?" She said threateningly.  
>Liam smiled "Crystal Mrs. H, I'm just saying though, you'd have to get to me before Rose did." He said.<br>Charity laughed. "That's very true." She agreed.

Rose rushed down the stairs, bag in tow.  
>"Ready when you are." She announced, grinning at Charity and Liam.<br>A horn beeped outside. "That's my Mom, right on cue." Liam said.  
>"Alright then, have fun kids!" Charity said as the two teenagers bounded out the door.<br>"We will! See you tomorrow!" Rose called.

Rose dropped her bag on the floor of Liam's room. "I can't believe you have a T.V in your room." She declared.  
>Liam laughed, "It's really not a bug deal Rose." He said, looking at her amusedly.<br>Liam's stepfather peeked in the room. "Hey Rose, how are you?' He asked.  
>"I'm good doc, how are you?" Rose replied, jumping on Liam's bed.<br>"Good, good, now listen kids I'm on call tonight so I'm going to be in and out all night, no funny business or we won't trust you to be alone again." The doctor warned.  
>Rose grinned, "Don't worry doc, if anything comes and attacks us I'll protect Liam." She assured.<br>The doctor laughed and shook his head. "Good to hear, I'm going out for a couple of hours now, don't stay up too late." He advised.  
>Liam glanced at Rose and pulled out a bunch of movies.<br>"So I googled what the most terrifying horror movies of all time were, and it came back with these three. You can pick the first one." Liam said, grinning at her.  
>Rose sighed and picked up a random movie. "Alright then, let's get it over with." She said in a resigned tone.<br>Liam jumped up and put the movie in the player and sat against his headboard.  
>"C'mere." He said, patting beside him.<br>Rose sighed and crawled next to him. "I am going to regret this so much." She muttered.

* * *

><p>Rose buried her head in Liam's chest and clung to him. "I can't watch this, I can't watch this!" She cried.<br>Liam laughed and draped his arm over her form, tracing patterns on her back. "It's okay." He soothed. "It's just a movie."  
>"Oh my god, I hate you so much. I hate you Liam Dunbar, I hate you for doing this." She yelled into his t-shirt.<br>Liam chuckled, "You know, for a person who hates me, you sure are holding on to me pretty tight." He commented jokingly.  
>"Shut up." She muttered, refusing to look at the screen.<p>

Two movies later, Rose eyes were still firmly shut and she was still holding on to Liam for dear life.  
>"That's it." Liam said, clicking the television off and looking down at Rose.<br>"Thank goodness that's over." Rose murmured into his chest before looking up at him.  
>"You gotta admit, they were pretty good films." Liam said.<br>Rose sighed. "I'm glad I watched them." She relented.  
>Liam grinned at her. "You're welcome." He said.<br>"But don't expect me to sleep for the next ten years." Rose stated.  
>Liam laughed, "That's alright with me. I'm going to get changed for bed, be back in a minute." He promised, grabbing his PJs.<br>"Don't get killed." Rose advised. "Or sewn into a human centipede. Or abducted. " She continued.  
>Liam laughed. "I'll try my best."<p>

Rose quickly changed into a pair of shorts and an old t-shirt, before standing up and rustling through Liam's closet.  
>"What're you doing?" He questioned, returning to the room and getting into bed.<br>"I'm cold." She explained, pulling on his old Devenford Prep sweater and jumping back onto the bed.  
>Liam gave her a funny look and shook his head.<br>"What is it?" Rose questioned.  
>Liam shook his head again, smiling. "Nothing."<br>"Tell me!" Rose whined.  
>Liam laughed. "I just like seeing you in my clothes, is that weird?" He said.<br>Rose grinned. "Not at all, I like wearing your clothes. I have a conspiracy theory that they make boys sweaters comfier than girls sweaters for no apparent reason." She confided.  
>Liam laughed again. Rose jumped under the covers ad wriggled closer to him. They looked each other for a moment before Rose broke the silence.<br>"Liam." She whispered.  
>"Yes?" He questioned.<br>"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me." She stated, smiling at him.  
>Liam smiled. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me." He countered. "You know you can tell me anything, right?" He said seriously, thinking back to the terrified way she had clung to him in the supply closet the other day.<br>"Yeah, I know. It's just hard sometimes, like saying things out loud makes them scarier." She whispered.  
>Liam nodded. "I know how you feel. How about we play a game and make those things seem a little less scary?" He suggested.<br>Rose shifted slightly and nodded imperceptibly.  
>"Okay." She whispered.<br>"I have Intermittent Explosive Disorder." He confided. "Not even Mason knows that yet."  
>Rose moved a piece of hair out of his forehead. "What does that mean?" She said quietly, looking at him in the eyes.<br>"I can get angry easily and when I do I'm destructive and dangerous, but I don't take my meds because I can't play lacrosse on them." He explained ashamedly.  
>Rose stroked his cheek, "Is it less scary now that you said it out loud?" She questioned. Liam nodded.<br>Rose took a deep breath. "I'm not an only child." She admitted.  
>Liam looked at her in confusion. "I have two older siblings… My brother used to… He used to…" Rose trailed off, beginning to cry.<br>Liam quickly embraced her and stroked her hair. "Shhh, it's okay, you don't have to say it if you don't want to." He assured.  
>Rose hiccupped and shook her head. "No, no I want to tell you, I want you to know." She insisted. She took a deep breath, "He used to beat me Liam." She confessed.<br>Liam hugged her tighter and growled slightly at the thought of someone hurting her.  
>"He hated me so much… Even when I was a little girl he just hated me and I sort of knew why but it wasn't my fault I swear I didn't know what I was doing and I was so scared and… And..." Rose burst into tears and clung to him tightly.<br>"Shhh, shhh Rose, it's okay." He murmured, stroking her hair. "He's gone now and if I have anything to do with it he won't come anywhere near you again." He promised, kissing the top of her head.  
>"I'm still so scared." She whispered.<br>"It's okay." He repeated. "I'm here."  
>Rose took and shaky breath and nodded. "Thank you." She said simply.<br>"It's no problem Rose." He said, stroking her hair and again. "I want you to try and get some sleep now, yeah?" He asked gently.  
>Rose nodded and turned over so her back was to him. "Come back here." He said, pulling her by her waist until her back rested against his chest. Rose cuddled closer to him and let out a deep sigh.<br>"Thank you." She repeated.

Liam and Rose slept the whole night through that night… And neither of them had nightmares for once.

* * *

><p>"This girl still bothers me." Stiles muttered, staring at a picture of Rose.<br>"That's because she's not human. You feel threatened because she's a predator and you're prey, like in biology." Malia explained simply, flicking a page in her textbook and highlighting a section.  
>Stiles turned around and looked at Malia with interest. "What makes you say that?" He questioned.<br>Malia put her highlighter down and looked up at Stiles. "It's like you said the other day, she can run just as fast, if not faster than Liam. Humans can't do that; it's as simple as that. Secondly, she's an excellent fighter, with reflexes so quick she can't be human, plus, I've seen the way her and Liam spar, they don't hold back from one another, and he's certainly not worried about hurting her anymore, because whatever he seems to do, it never injures her. That means she can heal." Malia stated.  
>Stiles sat down on the bed and looked at Malia in interest, listening carefully.<br>"You said you thought her eyes flashed blue the other day when she was talking to Tiffany Kelly, which would mean she was angry, which would also explain the bruises Tiffany has on her forearms that look like finger marks, Rose grabbed her didn't she?" Malia asked.  
>Stiles nodded wordlessly. "So she's a werewolf." Malia said shrugging.<br>"No, she's not. Her scent is human." Stiles argued.  
>Malia snorted. "That's the only thing keeping you from thinking she's a werewolf?" She questioned incredulously.<br>"Well, it's a pretty big deal." Stiles defended.  
>Malia rolled her eyes. "No it's not." She retorted.<br>"How is that not a big deal?" Stiles questioned impatiently.  
>Malia looked at him dead in the eye. "Because if you're powerful enough, you can mask your scent. Satomi was telling me the other day at training." Malia explained.<br>"What?" Stiles demanded, standing up suddenly.  
>"Rose Hunter is a powerful werewolf… Or a powerful were-something." Malia stated. "I may not be good at quadratics, but I know how to spot a were-creature when I see one." Malia assured.<br>Stiles paced furiously across the room. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" He demanded.  
>"You didn't ask." Malia said innocently, turning back to her notes.<br>Stiles looked at her furiously and took a deep breath. "Progress." He muttered to himself.  
>"And besides, if Rose is a werewolf, you've got bigger problems than just her being supernatural." Malia added.<br>Stiles looked at her in panic. "What?" He asked.  
>"Well, if you were right about her eyes being blue… That means she's killed someone." Malia explained calmly.<br>Stiles eyes widened, "Derek said whoever took Aurora would have to have been really powerful. If Rose can mask her scent, she's powerful alright." Stiles said, looking at his board inquisitively.  
>"No one's taken Aurora, she's dead, remember?" Malia offered.<br>Stiles ran a hand through his hair and look at Malia in shock. "Oh my God... Rose Hunter killed Aurora Lyall."

* * *

><p><em>And so the plot thickens! Let me know what you think, as always! Thank you to the delightful people who reviewed the last chapter, your comments, no matter how trivial they may seem to you, mean the world to me! Stay tuned!<em>

_- Ivy _


	7. Revelations

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf, nor any of its characters.

**CHAPTER SEVEN**  
><strong>Revelations<strong>

_"The truth." Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution."_  
><em>― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone<em>

* * *

><p>Aurora walked hesitantly onto the school's football field and eyed the girl in front of her suspiciously.<br>"Come on Bonnie!" Lily commanded, raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow. Aurora looked around and wondered who Lily was talking to. "Bonnie! I swear girl, sometimes I think that isn't even your name." She commented, taking her new recruit by the arm and pulling her towards the assembled group of cheerleaders close by. "You said you wanted to integrate, have a normal, boring and stereotypical high school existence. Those were your words, so now I'm making your dreams come true. You'll be a cheerleader, date a jock and hang out with the right crowd; you're lucky I recognised your potential, otherwise you would have been sitting with Loners United at lunch." She stated.

Aurora... Bonnie allowed herself to be dragged along towards cheerleader tryouts without complaint, thinking to herself that there was nothing less suspicious than another high school cheerleader in a mini skirt, and it was therefore the perfect cover. She flashed a stereotypical Barbie doll smile and nodded enthusiastically.  
>"Sorry babe, I was just having a moment there." She said, linking arms with Lily.<br>Lily rolled her eyes. "Well don't space out like that in tryouts, or you'll end up as base and trust me, if you wanna soar with eagles here, you've got to literally soar… And that means being a flyer; am I clear?" She demanded.  
>Bonnie nodded again. "So clear. Don't worry though, I've got this." She assured.<p>

Three weeks later, Aurora felt like she was another person, and really, she was. She pranced around in a cheerleader's uniform on game days, coated on strawberry flavoured lip-gloss and wore her hair in a curled ponytail everyday. Aurora Lyall slowly faded away as Bonnie gradually transformed from an easy cover, to a living and breathing person... Who Aurora wasn't sure she really liked.  
>Bonnie Cartwright was a mean girl, pure and simple. She snickered when smart kids stuttered in class, she flirted outrageously with jocks and barely passed her classes. Stares followed Bonnie Cartwright everywhere she went, she was always the hot topic for gossip; what she wore, who she kissed and where she partied on the weekend was everybody's business. Lily had become her best friend and together they had ruled the school in a stereotypical and oligarchical fashion. Only Bonnie Cartwright would never use the word oligarchical, she wouldn't even know what it meant because Bonnie Cartwright was the kind of girl that didn't read the English book and still got away with it, because she was pretty and charming.<p>

Only… Being Bonnie Cartwright was tiring, because Bonnie Cartwright barely got any sleep; she was always up late texting and chatting to her friends. Bonnie Cartwright never ate anything but salad and drank nothing but green tea, diet coke and water. Bonnie Cartwright wore revealing clothes that meant boys thought it was okay to disrespect her. In reality, despite the fact that every girl wanted to be her and every guy wanted to be with her, Bonnie Cartwright's life was as toxic and empty as the coke zero's she chugged down everyday in the cafeteria.

So when Fiona... Or at least that was her name when Aurora was Bonnie, told her it was time to move on… Aurora was more than happy to say goodbye to Bonnie Cartwright and say hello to an entirely different name and personality, this time, it was Charlie Lyons.

* * *

><p>Liam was walking down Rose's porch steps when Stiles screeched to a halt outside.<br>"Get in." He commanded, looking at Liam gravely.  
>Liam frowned in confusion, but jumped in the Jeep. Stiles drove on without a word.<br>"What's going on?" Liam questioned, frowning at Stiles.  
>"Pack meeting. I'm claiming those I told you so rights right now." Stiles stated.<br>Liam looked at him for a further explanation, but received none. "Stiles, what do you mean?" He said.  
>Stiles looked at him curiously. "Liam what color are Rose's eyes?" He asked.<br>"They're brown, why?" Liam replied.  
>Stiles shook his head. "I'll explain when everyone's together."<p>

* * *

><p>"How to put this delicately…" Stiles mused, pacing around Derek's loft in front of the fully assembled pack.<br>"Rose Hunter killed Aurora Lyall." Malia said bluntly.  
>Stiles sighed, "Well, I was going to warm up to that before hitting them all with the bombshell, but essentially, yes; we think Rose killed Aurora." Stiles explained.<br>He was met with blank faces.  
>"Do you have any proof?" Liam asked tiredly.<br>"Yes. Look, the first thing you should all know is that Rose is a werewolf. Yes, she smells like a human girl, I understand that, but if you're powerful enough, apparently you can mask your scent." Stiles said.  
>Scott nodded at Stiles to continue. "We're listening." He assured.<br>"Okay, so Rose is a powerful werewolf, what's my proof? She can fight really well, which generally suggests excellent reflexes, just like a werewolf. She can run incredibly fast, just like a werewolf. She heals, just like a werewolf. She's strong, Tiffany Kelly still has bruises on her arm from when Rose grabbed her and finally her eyes are bright blue when her heartbeat is up, just like a werewolf's. " Stiles explained.

"Okay." Liam said. "Rose is a werewolf, that doesn't mean she killed Aurora Lyall." He pointed out.  
>"Give me a minute, I want to talk about Aurora Lyall for a minute. The Lyalls are an incredibly old, incredibly powerful werewolf family. They'd do anything to get their girl back, which is why her brother Jeremy has sent the Bad Blood mercenaries after other werewolf packs he thinks might have tried to take Aurora as a power-play. Now, anyone that wants to go up against the Lyalls is going to be powerful, so powerful they could mask their scent so they can hide Aurora more effectively. Who do we know that can mask their werewolf scent? Oh that's right, Rose. Further, Lydia thinks Aurora is dead, which means that whoever took Aurora was only doing it to prove a point, and it was probably impulsive. Who do we know that's impulsive and loves to prove points? Oh that's right, Rose. She had to prove she was faster than Liam the first time she met him, she had to prove she was smart to her English teacher by taking him down. She had to prove she could defend herself by kicking Liam's ass in gym. She impulsively agreed to go on a date with Brett because she saw Liam with Tiffany and was jealous. She impulsively threatened Tiffany in the parking lot and bruised her arm to prove a point, do I need to keep going?" Stiles questioned.<p>

The pack stared at Stiles in shocked silence.  
>"So we have a powerful, impulsive werewolf who loves to prove points with icy blue eyes and a mysterious past she doesn't like talking about. Does anyone here not think Rose killed Aurora?" Stiles demanded.<p>

Liam shook his head. "I get that she's probably a werewolf, hell, I even agree with you there, but the only time you saw her blue eyes was at the lacrosse game for like, one second. You could have just imagined that." Liam pointed out. "Just because she's a werewolf doesn't mean she killed someone."

Stiles stared at Liam in frustration.  
>"He has a point Stiles." Lydia relented. "Don't get me wrong, I totally think she's a werewolf, you've got me convinced there, but did she kill someone? I don't think so."<p>

Stiles sighed in frustration.

"Well we can find out if her eyes are blue easily." Malia said.  
>The pack looked at her curiously.<br>"How?" Scott questioned.  
>"Liam just has to get her heartbeat up. He can kiss her." Malia stated simply.<p>

"What? No I'm not doing that." Liam said, shaking his head.  
>Scott looked at Liam seriously. "You said you wanted to help in the Rose Hunter investigation."<br>Liam shook his head, "Not like this!" He argued.  
>Malia snorted. "Oh come on Liam… We all know you want to anyway." She said.<br>Liam looked at Scott helplessly, but to no avail.  
>"Look don't get me wrong, I want to kiss Rose but not like this." He said.<br>Scott looked at him. "This is the quickest way to clear her name. If her eyes are yellow, we'll drop it and look somewhere else for answers about Aurora Lyall, but Rose is our only option right now."  
>Liam sighed. "Fine. I'll do it."<p>

* * *

><p>Charity hurried in the door and locked it behind her carefully.<br>"We have to move again." She said, walking briskly into the kitchen.  
>Rose looked up from her homework. "What? Why?" She questioned.<br>Charity pulled open the draw and grabbed their assorted I.D's "How do you feel about being Aimee Parkville?" She asked, looking up from one of Rose's fake birth certificates.  
>"I feel like being Rose Hunter is a better option! Mom, what's going on? What's got you so spooked?" She demanded.<br>Charity looked around the house suspiciously, as if waiting for someone to jump out at her. "They've found more bodies in Nevada with Bad Blood carved into them. The sheriffs office is on high alert because it looks like the next state they're going to hit is California." She confessed. "We have to leave now, the sooner the better. Maybe head south… How do you feel about North Carolina? I hear the accents there are cute." She offered.

Rose sighed. "I don't want to leave Beacon Hills Mom, I have friends here, really good friends. We've been here for so long the teachers actually know my name; I'm getting good marks again… I like it here."  
>Charity sighed. "I like it here to sweetie, but I like having a heartbeat more, and if Jeremy's mercenaries find us here I won't have one for much longer and neither will you."<p>

Rose shook her head. "No. I'm not running away from the problem again, that's what got us into this mess in the first place. I never should have listened to Scarlett, I should have stood my ground."

Charity sighed and sat next to Rose. "Maybe you should have, but the important thing is that you didn't, and we've got to deal with the consequences of that.  
>Rose sighed. "I'm not running away again Charity. Not this time, if I do this, he'll still be ruining my life, just in a different way to before. I'm staying in Beacon Hills."<p>

Charity sighed. "Are you sure you want to do this?" She questioned.  
>Rose nodded firmly. "Yes. It's time. I'm tired of running." She confirmed.<p>

* * *

><p>Liam adjusted his backpack on his shoulder and looked at Rose curiously.<br>"Are you okay? You were quiet today." He commented.  
>Rose looked at him thoughtfully and smiled reassuringly. "Yeah… Yeah I'm fine, I just decided something yesterday and it's made things… Clearer I guess."<br>"Oh? What was the decision?" Liam asked.  
>Rose smiled. "I'm not running away from my problems any more, I'm going to face them for better or worse from now on. Fight the dragon so to speak."<br>Liam smiled. "Good for you." He said, walking her up the steps of her house.  
>"Thanks. I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" Rose questioned.<br>"Of course." Liam assured.

Rose nodded slightly and went to open her door but Liam stopped her.  
>"Wait, Rose…" He called.<br>Rose turned around and looked at him questioningly. "Yeah Liam?" She said innocently.  
>"Um…" Liam mussed up the hair on the back of his head and looked at her. Rose smiled at the nervous gesture.<br>"What?" She asked.

Liam bit his lip and suddenly pulled her closer to him, crashing his lips onto hers. Rose's eyes widened in shock, but she soon closed her eyes and responded to the kiss with equal fervor, the combination of warmth of Liam's mouth and the smell of his cologne sending electricity down her spine. Liam smiled into the kiss as he heard her heartbeat rise, and tightened his grip on Rose's waist. Rose's hand soon entangled themselves in Liam's hair, and she pressed herself even closer to him, attempting to reduce all off the space between them. Eventually, Liam pulled away and Rose sighed happily with her eyes closed, when they opened though, Liam's blood ran cold.

Her normally brown eyes were icy, omega blue.

* * *

><p><em>Gasp! Shock, horror, unbelievable! But at least they kissed... Right? Stay tuned for more to come! Please, please, please review, I appreciate every single word! Thank you to the lovely people who reviewed the last chapter! You have my eternal appreciation. <em>

- Ivy


	8. Sparks Fly

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf, nor any of its characters.

**CHAPTER EIGHT  
>Sparks Fly<strong>

_"__Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably."  
>– William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing.<em>

* * *

><p>Liam stepped away from Rose as if he'd been burned. "Your eyes…" He breathed, his own wide in shock.<br>Rose blinked and her eyes returned to their usual color, she looked at him nervously, taking a cautious step back she looked at him, terrified. "Don't tell anyone." She begged, reaching out to grab his hand in pleading. Liam drew his hand back quickly and took another step away from her. "They were right about you." He said in horror. "You killed her." He said.  
>Rose shook her head furiously, "It wasn't like that! I promise! It… it just happened in the heat of the moment and I… And I couldn't control myself… I promise I didn't mean it. I didn't plan it, it was just… Impulsive I guess." She confessed, rushing and stumbling over her words in a mad attempt to explain herself.<br>Liam shook his head at you. "I liked you." He stated. "I really, really liked you. I thought we could…"  
>"We can." Rose assured, taking a step closer to him. "I promise I'll explain everything just please give me a chance."<br>Liam took another step back and shook his head in dissent, looking at her with a disappointed, and almost sad look in his eyes. "No. No we can't Rose. You _killed _someone." He said, almost himself. Looking at her one last time, he sighed and walked down the steps.  
>Rose watched him go momentarily before quickly running after him. "Liam, wait!" She yelled, grabbing his arm and pulling him back towards her. He spun around and tried to pull away but she gripped him tightly. "Listen to me!" She commanded, looking him directly in the eye. He turned to face her, his normally blue eyes now flashing molten gold. "Let go of me." He growled.<br>Rose let her fangs drop and flashed her eyes at him. "I said _listen _to me." She demanded, gripping his arm painfully now.  
>Liam wrenched his arm from her grip but stayed still. "What?" He said, feeling his anger beginning to take the place of shock and sadness.<br>"You can't tell anyone about me Liam." She said, looking at him pleadingly.  
>Liam growled. "Why not? You don't deserve my silence."<br>Rose looked at him in desperation. "Liam if you tell someone he's going to find me. Please, I understand you don't want to talk to me, I understand you can't be around me anymore, I will never speak to you again in my life if that's what you want, but _please _don't tell anyone about me; if our friendship means anything to you at all…" She begged, looking at him pleadingly.  
>Liam stared at her in silence with cold eyes. "Fine." He relented.<br>Rose visibly relaxed. "Thank you." She muttered.  
>Liam shook his head angrily and stalked off. "Don't speak to me again… Ever!" He shouted at her as he walked away.<br>Rose watched him walk away and silently nodded, wiping a stray tear away.

* * *

><p>Rose trudged to school miserably alone the next day, her shoulders hunched and her face drawn. Even outwardly, her usual playful style has been cut down to a palate of blacks, greys and charcoals. Black skinny jeans, black boots, a grey t-shirt, a charcoal beanie, and her leather jacket were the order of the day, even the weather seemed to reflect Rose's miserable mood, as a pathetic rain began to trickle down, forcing the whole of Beacon Hills into a miserable, drab morning. Rose marched up the school steps and determinedly avoided the curious stares of the students, including Liam's older friends.<p>

"Good morning!" Nessa greeted, popping up out of nowhere and flashing her a bubble-gum pink lipstick smile.  
>Rose scowled fiercely. "Hey." She grumbled, not making eye contact with her friend.<br>Nessa frowned at her. "What's got you so gloomy?" She questioned.  
>Rose stopped at her locker and fiddled with her lock. "Don't ask." She advised. "I'll probably start crying and I really don't want to do that in front of everyone." She said.<br>Nessa's mouth popped open in shock. "Is everything okay?" She asked concernedly.  
>Rose sighed. "Not really… Not really at all." She confessed, determinedly focusing on her lock to stop the tears from brimming over. Nessa cocked her head to the side, "Should I get Liam? He'll probably-"<br>"He is the last person I want to speak to now." Rose interrupted, furiously wiping a stray tear away.  
>Nessa looked at her in pity, "I'm sorry Rose… Do you wanna cut school today? We can go to the café and eat enough to dessert to give ourselves diabetes if you want, I won't even ask any questions until you're ready." Nessa offered.<p>

Rose stopped grabbing her books and looked at Nessa gratefully. "There is nothing I want more than that right now." She confessed.  
>Nessa smiled at her gently, "Then let's go. Come on, my treat." She said.<br>Rose sniffled and nodded slightly, before grabbing Nessa and hugging her tightly. Nessa hugged her back instantly and rubbed soothing circles into her back. "It's okay Rose." She comforted.  
>Rose let her go and smiled weakly.<br>"Now let's blow this popsicle stand." Nessa advised, taking Rose's hand and dragging her out of the building. Rose allowed herself to be fragged away, and even allowed herself a small smile at the thought of this powerless human girl managing to make her feel better, even at a time like this. However, Rose stopped in her tracks when she overheard her name in a conversation.  
>"You guys were right, her eyes were blue. She's definitely an omega, and has definitely killed someone." Liam said.<br>Rose gritted her teeth and tried to calm herself down, taking deep, soothing breaths, but it wasn't long until she felt a familiar rage begin to swirl within her settling deep within her stomach.  
>"That bastard." She muttered, yanking her arms away from Nessa and marching determinedly towards the school doors.<br>"Rose? What's going on?" Nessa questioned, racing after her.  
>"I'm going to kill him, I'm going to tear his insides out and paint the side of the school with his blood." She muttered, stomping closer and closer to the school doors.<br>"Wow! Horrific imagery Rose! Calm the hell down!" Nessa called, running to keep up with her friend.  
>"One thing I asked." She said, shoving both doors open forcefully.<br>"Rose!" Nessa yelled, grabbing her friend. Rose swung at her and looked at her furiously.  
>"What?" She snapped aggressively<br>Nessa looked at her hopelessly. "What will it achieve?" She finally demanded. "What will hurting him achieve? Will you get anything out of it other than a little instant gratification you'll later feel remorseful about?"  
>Rose looked at her curiously, and slowly felt her rage ebb away. Taking a deep breath she looked at her friend gratefully. "Nothing, you're right, of course… Let's just get out of here." She muttered.<br>Nessa relaxed. "I couldn't agree more." She said, walking down the steps with her and breathing a sigh of relief.

Rose caught a glimpse of Liam out of her peripheral vision but looked determinedly forward, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing her so upset.  
>"Killer." He whispered, knowing full well she could hear him.<br>Rose swung around to face him and looked at him coldly. "What did you just say?" She demanded, looking him dead in the eye.  
>Nessa tugged on her jacked. "Rose… Let's just go." She pleaded, sensing that this exchange was headed nowhere good.<br>"No! I want to know what the perfect Liam Dunbar has to say." Rose replied, glaring at Liam challengingly and shaking off Nessa's hand.  
>"You heard me." He said coldly, taking a step closer to her.<br>Rose shoved him back. "Because you've never done anything wrong in your life, have you Liam?" She questioned in sarcastic rhetoric. "You've never stepped a foot wrong in the history of your existence." She stated, shoving him again.  
>Liam stumbled back. "Don't push me Rose, you will not like the result." He warned, his eyes flashing. Rose smiled sadistically as she heard his heartbeat rise in anger.<br>She laughed coldly and sneered at him. "Shut up Dunbar. Get off your goddamn high horse, I don't know if you've forgotten, but you're a walking time bomb buddy, a literal I.E.D… Prone to explode at any moment." She taunted, shoving him again and smiling in satisfaction as his heartbeat quickened further.  
>Liam growled.<br>"Where's your big friends now? Huh, Dunbar? What are you gonna do when Scott isn't here to fix up all your mistakes?" She demanded.  
>Liam shoved her. "Shut the hell up Rose, you aren't in any position to be making threats."<br>Rose shoved him back. "I'm not making threats Dunbar, I'm making promises; sneer at me from your supposed moral high ground one more time and I'll tear you apart." She warned.  
>"Fine." He said, raising his hands in surrender, stepping back and smirking arrogantly.<br>Rose smiled and turned to walk away.  
>"Bitch." He called to her retreating figure.<br>Rose stopped and turned to face him before crashing her fist into his eye socket. Liam reacted immediately, retaliating with his own left hook and hearing a satisfying crunch in Rose's cheekbone. Rose looked at him, clutching her cheek and growled, her eyes flashing a dangerous blue.

Soon the two were at each other's throats, kicking, shoving and punching with all of their might. This wasn't like gym class; this time Rose and Liam were aware of each other's bodies. They knew instinctively how the other moved after weeks and weeks of sparring.  
>Rose ducked low and attempted to sweep Liam's feet from underneath him, but he jumped and laughed cruelly.<br>"Try harder Rosie." He taunted, kicking her onto the ground, her head hit the concrete with a sickening crunch, but she jumped up, seemingly unhurt delivered a fierce uppercut into his chin. Liam's jaw was forced together and he bit painfully down on his tongue.

A small crowd had gathered around the two, but Rose and Liam were barely aware of their spectators as they focused intensely on one another. Rose jumped up and fly kicked Liam, swiftly following it up with a roundhouse kick that sent him sprawling into the ground. Rose stood over him and slammed her boot into his gut. He groaned in pain and curled into the fetal position. She vaguely heard someone call her name, but the adrenaline of the fight and the satisfaction of releasing all of her anger and stress deafened her. She straddled Liam and slammed his skull into the pavement.  
>"ROSE HUNTER!" Mason screamed.<br>Rose jerked her head in the direction of her name and searched for Mason in the crowd, he rushed through the now masses of students and broke into the circle. Grabbing her by the shoulder he looked at her gravely.  
>"I don't know why you two are fighting, more importantly I don't know <em>what<em> you are, but if you keep going, you're going to kill one another." Mason advised.  
>Rose spat blood onto the sidewalk. "I'll heal." She snarled, moving towards Liam, who was now being attended by Scott and the rest of the pack.<br>Mason pulled her back by the arm and looked at her seriously, "Rose… Neither of you are healing." He whispered meaningfully.  
>Rose frowned and then looked down at herself. Her knuckles were split open and blood trickled down from her lip. Her whole body was suddenly plunged into a world of pain as her adrenaline faded and her injuries screamed in protest.<br>"I'm not healing." She repeated, looking at Mason in shock and stumbling slightly. Nessa rushed to her side and quickly supported her.  
>"I'm taking her to the hospital, I think she might have a concussion, did you see when he slammed her skull into the pavement?" She questioned. Mason nodded.<br>"Go, make sure she's okay." He said.  
>Nessa dragged Rose away from the school and threw her into her car.<br>"I knew there was something you weren't telling me." She muttered, turning her keys in the ignition and shaking her head.

* * *

><p>Nessa dragged Rose into the emergency room. "Excuse me? She needs a nurse, she's been in a fight and I think she has a concussion." Nessa explained, looking around the room desperately.<p>

A nurse with dark curly hair quickly approached her and grabbed Rose. "What happened?" She demanded, walking her towards a room immediately.  
>"She got in a fight, it was ugly, and her head hit the ground pretty hard." Nessa explained.<br>The nurse nodded quickly. "What's her name?" She questioned.  
>"Rose Hunter."<br>"Okay, Rose? I need you to listen to me; you need to stay awake, okay? No sleeping until we get you better." The nurse stated, flashing a light in Rose's eyes.  
>Rose looked blearily at the nurse. "You're Scott's Mom." She stated blearily. "I can smell his scent on you."<br>Melissa's eyes widened as she realized what Rose was. "Why isn't she healing?" She demanded, rounding on Nessa.  
>Nessa shrugged. "Listen lady, I know even less than you about this whole thing, why don't you call your son and ask him why his buddy beat up my friend."<br>Melissa frowned in confusion. "Rose, who did this to you?" She asked.  
>Rose blinked slowly and frowned, as if trying to remember, "Liam." She said finally. "Liam Dunbar, Scott's beta."<br>Melissa pursed her lips and continued to carry Rose down the halls. "That's interesting." She said finally.

* * *

><p>Scott and Stiles dragged Liam into the animal clinic.<br>"Hey! Liam!" Scott said sharply as his beta's eyes drooped.  
>Stiles looked at Scott helplessly, "I think he has a concussion, this is ridiculous, why isn't he healing?" Stiles questioned.<br>Scott shook his head in confusion. "I don't know, we need to find Deaton." He said, looking at Liam in concern.  
>Just at that moment, Deaton walked through, took one look at Liam and sighed. "Come through." He said, walking into the surgery room.<br>The boys carried Liam in and sat him on the bench.  
>"What happened?" Deaton questioned, regarding Liam concernedly.<br>"He got into a fight." Stiles explained.  
>"She started it." Liam muttered blearily.<br>"She also finished it." Stiles retorted.  
>Liam sighed in annoyance, but didn't dispute the comment. "Whatever." He murmured.<br>Scott pulled an icepack out of the freezer and handed it to Liam. "For your eye." He said.  
>Deaton frowned, "So he got into a fight… That's not exactly uncommon, especially for Liam, the question is why isn't he healing?"<br>Scott sighed, "That's the question everyone wants the answer to."  
>"Is there a poison? Like wolfsbane or something that could destroy healing capabilities?" Stiles questioned.<br>Deaton shook his head. "No, the only thing I could think of is electricity, but your wounds are purely from physical contact." Deaton mused.  
>"I'm fine." Liam muttered.<br>Stiles scoffed, "You have a black eye, a split lip and knuckles, numerous bruises as well as a concussion. You are not fine."  
>"Who was he fighting?" Deaton asked, flashing a light in Liam's eye to check for responsiveness.<br>"Rose Hunter. She's didn't heal either, she's a werewolf too." Scott replied, crossing his arms and examining Liam as his eyes drooped closed. "Hey! No sleeping!"  
>Deaton straightened at the mention of Rose. "He was fighting a she-wolf?" He demanded, looking back at Liam momentarily.<br>"Yeah, does that change things?" Scott said.  
>Deaton frowned. "And she wasn't healing either? Where is she?" He questioned.<br>"At the hospital, she has similar injuries, they didn't exactly hold back." Stiles explained.  
>Deaton frowned "It's rare…" He trailed off.<br>"What's rare?" Scott questioned.  
>"Mates. Well, not even mates really, true mates." Deaton stated.<p>

The boys stood in silence for a moment.  
>"Explain." Stiles demanded.<br>"Well, sometimes when two wolves, typically a young male and female, but there's no lore saying it can't happen with the same sex as well; meet, every now and then they instantly connect and it's like they can't separate from one another." Deaton explained.  
>"Like Liam and Rose." Scott pointed out.<br>"I suppose. When these two wolves meet, they have a natural chemistry and a potential for a life-long bond that will bind the two together for as long as they live." Deaton said.  
>"So like true love." Stiles suggested, taking a sip of water.<br>"Exactly. Now, according to legend, if these two wolves were to fight one another, the wounds could not be healed by healing powers, but rather by time, or one another." Deaton finished.  
>"I am not in love with Rose Hunter, she's a killer." Liam objected. "And besides, we've fought before, we're sparring partners in gym and we've never come away from fights with injuries, regardless of how intense we were." He explained.<br>Deaton shrugged, "There would have to be some level of consummation before the bond was created." He explained. "Which is why you've been healing up until now, presumably you've only recently consummated the bond."  
>Stiles spat out his water. "A level of what?" He demanded.<br>"Consummation." Deaton said.  
>Stiles and Scott looked at Liam in shock, he met their eyes in confusion and there was a moment of silence.<br>"What?"  
>Stiles scratched the back of his head in an awkward gesture and looked at Scott.<br>"Has uh… Has Rose, erm, slept over at any point Liam?" Scott questioned.  
>Liam frowned, "Yeah, we had a movie night the other night and we slept together, why?"<br>There was another moment of silence as Scott and Stiles looked at Liam in a new light.  
>"Wow… Not such a little wolf after all; are you Dunbar?" Stiles said.<br>"Congratulations I guess." Scott muttered.  
>Liam frowned in confusion, "What are you… Oh! Oh no!" Liam said, shaking his head profusely. "Rose and I didn't… We haven't… You know." He finished awkwardly.<br>"Had sex." Stiles provided.  
>Liam blushed furiously. "No."<br>"Then how did you consummate if you didn't?" Scott asked.  
>Deaton coughed and smiled at the three, "I don't believe intercourse would be necessary." He suggested. "A kiss would suffice."<br>"We did do that." Liam assured.  
>Deaton smiled. "There you are then. Congratulations, you have a mate, or would you prefer the term life-long girlfriend?"<br>"Wife?" Stiles suggested, grinning at Liam.  
>Liam blanched, "I'm sixteen, I would prefer the term nothing at all." He stated.<br>Deaton shrugged, "Let me put it this way, you've known Rose for a couple of months now… Have you in that time even considered another girl romantically?"  
>Liam bit him lip. "No." He admitted.<br>"Well there you are, you never will. That's a scary thought I know… But would you want to be with anyone else? Ever?" Deaton questioned.  
>"There's just one problem with that." Stiles interrupted.<br>"Liam's mate killed someone." Scott explained.  
>Deaton frowned. "What?"<br>Liam sighed "Yeah, Rose's eyes are killer blue. We're pretty sure she killed Aurora Lyall."  
>Deaton shook his head. "If she's your mate, you'd know for sure. Stiles, go and get the girl. She deserves to know about the bond, then we'll talk about who she did and didn't kill."<p>

Stiles sighed dramatically. "Oh yeah, send the defenseless human against the murderous teenage she-wolf. Awesome idea guys." He said sarcastically, walking out the door.

* * *

><p><em>I know a lot of you were expecting a big reaction from Rose regarding Liam just kissing her for investigative reasons, but honestly she hasn't even had time to consider that yet! The story is beginning to pick up its central sort of story now, a lot is going to be revealed in the next few chapters! Thanks as always must go to my beta reader Halo-Lucinda-Ivy, as well as EVERYONE who reviewed the previous chapter! Stay tuned for more action soon to come!<em>

- Ivy


	9. The Ashes of Despair

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf, nor any of its characters.

**CHAPTER NINE**  
><strong>The Ashes of Despair<br>**  
><em>"Grief does not change you, Hazel. It reveals you."<em>  
><em>- John Green, The Fault in Our Stars<em>

* * *

><p>Stiles turned into Rose's street and cradled his phone against his ear. "Okay, so she was on her way home when you last spoke? Concussion? Yeah, Liam's the same. Thanks Nessa." He said, hanging up the phone and screeching to a halt outside of Rose's house.<br>Jumping out of the car, Stiles eyed the Hunter house suspiciously; the front door was ajar.  
>"Weird." He muttered, thinking to himself that if he were a teen murderess, he would probably shut the door behind him.<br>Mounting the steps, he knocked on the open door and peered inside.  
>"Rose?" He called, but was met with silence.<br>The house had an almost eerie quality to it, and Stiles felt a shiver run down his spine as a dark feeling of foreboding overwhelmed him.  
>"… Rose?" He called again, stepping over the threshold. Walking carefully through the hallway, he couldn't help but note how normal the home appeared; there was a coat rack, Rose's backpack had been tossed into the corner next to the door, and family photos hung on the walls. Stiles studied a photo of Rose and Charity at Wrigley Field. They were dressed in Cubs merchandise and grinning cheerily at the camera.<br>"Huh, Wrigley Field… Chicago." He muttered.  
>Stiles walked into an office and curiously opened a drawer of the desk. Looking at the dimensions of the drawer, he frowned; the bottom of the drawer and the interior of it didn't match up.<br>"Fake bottom?" He wondered aloud.  
>Curiously, Stiles removed the contents of the drawer and knocked on the base of the drawer. Sure enough, it was hollow. Carefully pushing down on the back of the drawer, eventually the false bottom lifted to reveal a single file. Opening it up, the file revealed a series of official paperwork for a string of different people. Birth certificates, driver license's, passports… Stiles realised in shock that the file was full of fake ID's for both Charity and Rose. Stiles picked up a handful and skimmed through "Jodie Parks, Cornelia Spencer, Blair Astoria… Is Rose Hunter even her real name?" Stiles questioned aloud. Abandoning the file from the desk, he stepped into the hallway again. "Rose? Are you here?" He said, walking into the kitchen.<p>

It was the smell that hit him first; the metallic scent of blood was overpowering as he stepped into the room. Stiles gagged, covered his nose with his sleeve and peered over the kitchen counter. He gasped and took several steps back as he saw the body of Charity Hunter, bloody and pale, lying spread-eagled across the kitchen floor. Her arms, legs and chest were emblazoned with the words 'Bad Blood', and her throat had been slit. Blood was everywhere, it pooled around her head and seeped out of her wounds still, it looked as if she had been killed mere moments before Stiles had arrived. Charity stared at the ceiling with dead, glassy eyes.  
>Stiles felt his stomach heave and quickly removed himself from the room. He took out his phone and dialled his Dad's number. Bursting out of the house he spoke madly into the receiver.<br>"Dad, there's a corpse at the Hunter residence, it's Charity Hunter, Rose Hunter's Mom, your new assistant. She's got Bad Blood written all over her Dad." He gushed, beginning to feel dangerously ill.  
>"Stiles get out of there now! The killers could still be there!' The Sherriff commanded.<br>Stiles leant over the front garden of the Hunter residence and emptied his stomach completely, then wiped his mouth on his sleeve and took a deep breath. Stiles quickly made his way to the curb and wrenched open the driver's door of the Jeep.  
>"I'm out, they're not there anymore. Rose isn't there either." He replied into the phone, leaning heavily against his headrest.<br>"Okay son, just get home as soon as possible, I'll be there as soon as I can." The Sherriff assured.  
>Stiles turned the keys in the ignition shakily. "Dad, get here soon. It's… Messy." He advised, hanging up the phone.<p>

Suddenly, the passenger door of the Jeep swung open and someone jumped into the passenger seat. Stiles yelled out in surprise and regarded them incredulously.  
>"Rose?" He questioned, looking at the girl disbelievingly.<br>Rose looked at him. She was a mess, sobbing and red faced, her hands shaking. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I just don't know what to do and you were just here and… And… They're here." She said madly.  
>She took a shuddering breath and began to cry heavily. "They killed Maree, they killed her Stiles. I thought they would just take me back and leave her alone. Stiles she wanted to leave, she told me we had to leave and I said no. Oh my God this is my fault, this is all my fault…" Rose ranted as she began to hyperventilate and cry hysterically, trembling like a leaf.<br>"Rose..." Stiles said, realising with horror she was having a panic attack. She looked at him with terrified eyes and tried to breathe, but it was like her lungs were a vacuum and nothing she could do would make the air reach them.  
>Stiles grabbed her by the shoulders "Rose! Look at me!" He commanded. She looked at him with wide eyes and gasped. Stiles bit his lip and looked at her helplessly.<br>"I'm only doing this because it worked for me once… It's platonic I swear." He said simply, before kissing her fiercely.  
>Rose stiffened in shock before quickly pushing him away and taking a deep breath. She looked at him in surprise and took another deep breath, "Thanks I guess." She muttered.<br>Stiles shook his head. "Don't mention it… Ever. Now we're going to take a quick trip to Deaton's, before I take you to my Dad for your confession." He commanded, pulling the Jeep into gear and pulling out into the road.  
>Rose looked at him in confusion. "What am I confessing?" She questioned, biting her nails anxiously.<br>"The murder of Aurora Lyall." He stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.  
>Rose smiled humourlessly. "Stiles, I haven't committed suicide." She said.<br>He looked at her quizzically. "What do you mean?" He demanded.  
>Rose shot him a sad smile and sighed. "I didn't kill Aurora Lyall." She explained. "I am Aurora Lyall."<br>Stiles raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Explain." He demanded.

* * *

><p>The men shifted awkwardly under Jeremy's withering gaze.<br>"Sir, she uh… She wasn't there." Mark said uncomfortably.  
>Jeremy's eyes flashed a terrible red; he pinched the bridge of his nose and attempted to calm himself down.<br>"What?" He questioned softly, in quiet fury.  
>Mark scuffed his feet. "There were signs that she had inhabited the house, but she was nowhere to be found. We believe she may have… Evaded us."<br>Jeremy took a deep breath and smiled serenely at his men. "I want my sister found, and I want you to drag her back here. Then, I want to kill her. Is that such a demand? Is it such an arduous task for you to find a SIXTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL?" He roared.  
>Mark flinched. "I don't believe we should make the mistake of underestimating your sister again Sir." He said quietly.<br>Jeremy looked at him sneeringly. "What is there to underestimate? She's a stupid little girl, nothing to it; the fact that she has managed to slip through your fingers so many times is not a testament to her abilities, but rather a telling glimpse into just how unqualified you are."  
>Mark coughed. "Sir, I mean no disrespect, but Aurora has managed to siphon all of the funds from her trust, as well as a significant amount of money from the family accounts into a separate account that even our greatest minds are unable to find. They don't know how she did it Sir, but she's robbed you over at least twenty five percent of your family's fortune."<br>Jeremy opened his mouth to rebut but Mark continued.  
>"She's managed to get her hands on several false identities that we don't discover until she leaves them behind for us to find. She's also hacked into various government systems and deleted huge sections of data that make it impossible to use facial recognition software on CCTV footage. Now, I'm not saying she did this all by herself, in fact it's impossible that she did, but your sister is resourceful and charming enough to befriend the right people who will then happily do her favours at the drop of a hat."<br>Jeremy stared at his mercenary in cold fury. "What are you trying to say here?" He questioned dangerously.  
>Mark raised an eyebrow. "You asked me what there is to underestimate Sir… The answer is plenty. My advice would be don't allow the image that you have in your head of your defenceless and timid little sister stop you from seeing the big picture here… Because Aurora is not an easy enemy, nor is she someone we should underestimate."<br>Jeremy took a deep breath. "Very well." He conceded. "Do whatever you need to do, but find that little witch and bring her to me, it's time I received some vengeance for my Mother." He said cuttingly, before stalking out of the room.

* * *

><p>Liam sat down in Deaton's office and looked at him disbelievingly. "Mates." He said.<br>Deaton smiled. "Yes, mates."  
>Liam shook his head. "I don't believe you."<br>Deaton smirked, "Okay then, I'm going to ask you a few questions and you're going to answer them honestly; then we'll get to the bottom of this." He said. Liam shrugged and nodded. "Okay."  
>"When you met Rose, was there a connection? A need to prove yourself?"<br>"Yes. We were racing, all I wanted to do was prove I was faster than her… Strong I guess."  
>Deaton nodded slightly, "And your relationship as a whole, what was that like?"<br>Liam ran a hand through his hair absentmindedly, "Erm... Turbulent? We were either really close and everything was fantastic, or we were at each others throats ready to kill one another."  
>Deaton nodded again. "Okay, and when you spoke, what was that like?"<br>"Easy, comfortable. Like talking to someone I'd known my whole life." He admitted.  
>"But you didn't know anything about her."<br>Liam shook his head/ "No, she was a total mystery and I wanted… Hell, I needed to find out more about her, she was a riddle that I had to solve. Little did I know the riddle was a murder investigation." He said bitterly.  
>Deaton sighed in frustration, "If she really killed someone, we have an even bigger problem. It would mean you're tied to a murderer for life, this kind of thing isn't exactly reversible Liam."<br>Scott stood up and paced madly across the room. "This is my fault, I told you to kiss her." He muttered guiltily.  
>Liam shrugged. "I would have kissed her sooner or later, it's not your fault." He opened his phone and frowned. "Rose called me." He said in surprise.<br>"What?" Scott questioned standing up from his seat and peering over Liam's shoulder.  
>"She called me, look, she left a message and everything." He said. "We just beat each other to a pulp, why would she call me? This doesn't make any sense, even for her."<br>Deaton frowned. "Listen to the message." He said.  
>Liam bit his lip and played the voicemail.<br>"Liam, it's Rose. I just wanted to say before I left that I'm really sorry for the way I handled things today. You were upset and that's completely understandable and I was totally in the wrong. Anyway, um, I'm leaving town soon and I figured it was best I apologise for the way I treated you before I left. I uh… I really enjoyed the time I had with you and I'll never forget how good you were to… Oh my god!" The phone message cut off abruptly and Liam looked at Scott in alarm.  
>"What the hell was that?" He demanded.<br>Scott raised his eyebrows. "I have no idea… But I think your girl might be in trouble."

* * *

><p>The Jeep was parked at the edge of the lookout on the reserve. Below the car, the lights of Beacon Hills gradually flickered out, as the unknowing citizens of the tiny town went about their nightly business, unknowing and ignorant of the suffering of a single girl. Yet Stiles? Stiles knew the entire story.<p>

Rose sighed. "So there you have it, the whole truth and nothing but the truth." She said humourlessly, her voice hoarse and her eyes raw from crying.  
>Stiles sat back against his seat and looked at her wordlessly.<br>"There has never been a time when I was more wrong in my life." He said.  
>Rose managed a single, pathetic laugh, yet it sounded more like a sob. "So you believe me." She said.<br>Stiles looked at her. "No one could make that up." He stated, looking at her sympathetically. "So what will you do now?" He asked.  
>Rose sighed and looked out the windscreen into the inky darkness of the night. "… I don't know." She admitted. "After today and everything with Liam, I was ready to pack up and leave, but now? I wouldn't even know where to begin."<br>Stiles took her hand and squeezed in comfortingly. "How about you stay with me tonight? You can take my bed, I'll explain to my Dad what happened, technically you're a ward of the state now, so you'd probably be staying with us anyway." He explained.  
>Rose looked at him. "Are you sure?"<br>Stiles nodded. "I accused you of murder, the least I can do is give you somewhere to sleep." He said, smiling gently at her.  
>Rose gave him a weak smile in return. "… Okay." She conceded.<br>Stiles started the car again and drove towards home. "You know you're going to have to tell the pack the story, right Rose?" He said.  
>Rose ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah… I know. I guess that'll have to happen tomorrow." She said.<br>Stiles took her hand again and rubbed his thumb consolingly across her knuckles. "It'll be okay, I promise." He swore. They drove in silence through town, before finally pulling into the Stilinski driveway.

The two teenagers got out of the car and Stiles ran upstairs and grabbed an old t-shirt and a pair of boxers. "You can wear these tonight, tomorrow I'l get someone from the station to go and get your clothes. Just wake me if you need me, okay?" He said, looking at Rose seriously.  
>Rose nodded and gave him a quick hug. "Thanks Stiles." She whispered.<br>He rubbed her back and nodded. "It's okay Rosie, it's the least I can do." He said, drawing away from her and kissing her lightly on her forehead before going downstairs. He quickly pulled out his phone and texted Scott: 'We have a problem. Speak soon, don't come to the house.'

Rose pulled on Stiles' clothes and jumped into bed. She stared at the ceiling mindlessly, before the grief crashed down on her and she began to sob hysterically. For the first time throughout this entire ordeal, Rose was completely and utterly without hope. She felt as if she was clinging desperately to the tiniest of lifeboats in a raging black ocean and at any moment a wave would thrash into her and drag her down. She cried for what seemed like years and grief sapped from her all good memories, or moments of light in her life. There was just she and the darkness of loss.

Eventually, sleep embraced her and she sank into blissful nothingness.

* * *

><p><em>Heavy stuff, I know. Congratulations to those who guessed that Rose was indeed Aurora Lyall! Unfortunately this is just the beginning of a whole series of problems the pack is yet to face. This aren't exactly peachy with Rose and Liam at the moment either. <em>

_Thanks must go as always to everyone who reviews, I appreciate it immensely! Please feel free to drop a comment at the end of this, letting me know if you like the story thus far. I adore reading what you guys have to say! Chapter 10 is coming soon, so stay tuned!_

- Ivy


	10. Verity

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf, nor any of the characters.

**CHAPTER TEN  
><strong>**Verity**

"_The truth doesn't glitter and shine." __  
><em>_―__ Chuck Palahniuk, __Survivor_

* * *

><p>Scott paced madly across the room. "Stiles! Where the hell are you? We haven't heard from you in ages now, we're starting to get worried. Call me as soon as you get this." He demanded, hanging up his phone in frustration.<br>Liam similarly spoke urgently into his phone from the couch. "Rose, call me as soon as you get this… I'm…" Liam paused and thought about what he was about to say. "I'm worried about you." He said finally. "Please, please just get back to me." He said, sighing as he hung up.  
>Kira stood up and embraced Scott in comfort. "It's going to be fine Scott, I'm sure Stiles is alive. Lydia would have told us if he wasn't, and there's no reason for Rose to kill him anyway." She said. Scott rested his chin atop her head and sighed.<br>Malia raised her eyebrows. "It doesn't look like there was any reason for her to kill Aurora Lyall either." She pointed out frankly.  
>Lydia elbowed her in the side, "Not helping." She muttered. Malia looked at Lydia and shrugged.<br>"It's still true." She murmured, biting her nails anxiously.

Derek stood up and looked at the assembled pack. "Look, we've done everything we could. We've called them, looked for them, right now, there's nothing we can do except wait."  
>The pack sighed collectively, but nodded in agreement. Derek nodded. "Okay, so business as usual until we hear from them. Braeden, what should Liam do to recover from the fight?" He asked, effectively changing the subject.<br>Braeden frowned in thought. "Take a hot bath, I think we have Epsom salts, you should put those in there, it'll help with the muscle fatigue." She advised, looking Liam up and down.  
>Liam stood up and groaned in pain as his muscles cried out in protest at the movement. He looked humorlessly at everyone. "At this point, I don't care if she killed someone or not; she better heal me before we hand her over to the cops, this not-healing situation is ridiculous." He joked weakly before limping out of the room.<p>

Scott watched him go sympathetically, and then sat down on the couch, resting his head in his hands worriedly.  
>Malia watched Liam walk out of the room, "He looks terrible. He's all banged up and looks like he hasn't slept in a week." She commented.<br>Kira took a seat next to Scott and traced patterns on his back soothingly, before nodding in agreement. "Not just physically either. This fight, or heartbreak, or whatever you want to call it… It's destroying him from the inside... The kid can barely stay focused on a conversation for more than a couple of minutes. He's worrying about her despite himself." She said.  
>Derek crossed his arms. "That's what it's going to be like for the rest of his life. The relationship between mates is completely co-dependent. When they're both hurting, or angry or upset at one another, it's increased tenfold. That's why it's so rare, not everyone is strong enough to cope with that level of intensity." He explained.<br>Scott ran a hand through his hair in a stressed gesture. "What are we going to do when they lock her up for murder? He's going to have to visit her everyday… That or we need to find a way to break the bond."  
>Derek shook his head. "That might have been possible if they were just mates, but they're <em>true <em>mates, which makes this a thousand times more complicated. If we try and separate them, it could be… Painful, to put in mildly." He said, wincing at the thought.  
>Scott sighed. "We just need to find her and Stiles… The sooner the better." He said.<p>

* * *

><p>Stiles awoke to the quiet clink of a spoon against a bowl. Raising himself up from the couch, he looked into the kitchen and saw Rose eating a bowl of cheerios in silence. Looking up from her cereal, she made eye contact with Stiles and shot his a weak half-smile that didn't meet her eyes.<br>"I thought that I wouldn't be able to eat." She said softly. "I think I thought that the whole world would just stop spinning, that people would somehow intrinsically know that something was _missing… _That she was gone." She continued, spooning another spoonful into her mouth. "But it wasn't like that at all." She explained. "It would appear that no matter how heartbroken and lost I am, the world simply refuses to stop. I woke up this morning, and I was hungry, just like any other morning."  
>Stiles got up and walked into the kitchen. "I'm sorry." He said.<br>Rose looked at him. "Don't be." She advised, finishing her cheerios and washing her bowl in the sink.

The two got dressed and Rose sat in the living room staring blankly at the television screen. Her entire body ached from her fight with Liam yesterday, she was still unsure as to why she wasn't healing, yet physical pain seemed so trivial at that moment. The emptiness inside of her was all consuming, Rose briefly wondered if it would be like this forever.  
>Stiles jogged down the stairs and looked at Rose sympathetically. "My Mom died too, you know." He offered, sitting down next to her.<br>Rose turned to him and looked at him empathetically. "I'm sorry." She said.  
>"Don't be." He advised, repeating her words from earlier. "And you're right, life does go on. That can be frustrating sometimes, because you feel like you have all of these emotions inside of you and no one really gets it. For a while there you think that they don't care, and that's why they're so distant and aloof, so then you get angry… But that's not really what's going on; people just can't comprehend something they've never experienced. Especially when it comes to death." Stiles explained.<br>Rose bit her lip and attempted to stop the tears from flowing. "Does it…" She began, hastily wiping a stray tear. "Does it ever go away?"  
>Stiles looked at her in understanding. "The emptiness? Honestly, not really. You're always going to have a gap inside of you that the other person used to fill." He admitted.<br>Rose sobbed and Stiles hugged her, rubbing her back soothingly. "It's okay though." He promised. "Because eventually the gap stops being this endless void of sadness and grief, and after some time, it becomes this place where all the good memories are stored. The emptiness eventually becomes somewhere you go to look back on the good times, instead of just remembering that she's dead."

Rose nodded into his shoulder and hugged him tightly. "Thanks Stiles." She murmured.  
>He rubbed her back in slow circles. "It's okay." He consoled.<br>Rose took a deep breath. "I think we need to go and see the pack… Explain to them the whole situation." She said.  
>Stiles drew away from her and looked her in the eye. "Are you sure?" He questioned.<br>Rose nodded. "Yeah. I think it might even be… Therapeutic? Cathartic maybe? I've been holding onto this untold story for so long… It's actually becoming painful to hold onto all by myself. Maybe if I tell people, a bit of the weight will lift."  
>Stiles nodded in agreement. "Okay then." He said, grabbing his keys. "Let's go."<p>

* * *

><p>Stiles knocked on the door of Derek's loft and shifted his weight from foot to foot in impatient anxiety. The door swung open with great force and Scott looked at Stiles in relief before quickly embracing him.<br>"Thank God..." He muttered. "Next time try a less cryptic text." He advised.  
>Rose stepped out from the shadows and looked at Scott nervously. "Hi." She murmured, twisting her hands together nervously.<br>Scott's eyes flashed red in anger. "You have a _lot _of explaining to do." He said coldly, crossing his arms.  
>Rose looked at her shoes and scuffed them against the floor. "I know. I'm sorry." She muttered, forcing back her tears.<br>Stiles grabbed Scott's shoulder and looked at him in warning. "Hey… Go easy on her. She's been through a lot." He explained.  
>Scott looked in Stiles in surprise but opened the door wider for the two to enter. "Come on in then." He said, looking at Rose curiously.<p>

Rose shuffled into the room and raised her head, only to be met with a variety of unwelcoming stares from the pack. Her eyes searched the room as she looked for Liam. He was seated the couch, and looked at her in open hostility. He was in a bad way, much like her. He was bruised all over; his usually bright blue eyes were a dull, almost gray color and he looked like he hadn't slept in a week. Rose's heart panged as she realized she was most likely the cause for this.

Liam felt his heart leapt into his mouth as Rose entered the room. She looked terrible; her hair was limp and her skin was a pale, sickly color. Liam regarded her nails and saw that she had bitten them down to the quick. In addition to this, her skin flowered with various bruises and she also sported a particularly nasty looking black eye. He realized that he was the one that had caused her all of this hurt and quickly felt the guilt settle in his already queasy stomach.

Needless to say, neither of the young wolves was coping very well.

"Hi." Rose muttered, barely looking Liam in the eye.  
>He stared at her coldly. "Hi." He replied simply, crossing his arms across his chest and wincing when his muscles groaned in protest.<br>The pack looked at the two curiously, before Kira sprung into action.  
>"I think you have a lot of explaining to do Rose." She prompted, gesturing for her to sit down.<p>

Rose limped over to a chair placed in front of the couch and waited for everyone to sit down in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she began.  
>"The first thing I want to say is that I'd appreciate it if you would all just listen to what I have to say in its entirety before you make any decisions about what you're going to do with me." She looked at Scott as she said this. He hesitated, but then nodded his assent.<p>

Rose then twisted her head to look at Derek and shot him a weak smile. "Hey Derek, long time no see." She said.  
>Derek frowned and studied her for a moment, before his mouth dropped as he realized who was sitting in front of him.<br>"New look." He remarked.  
>Rose scoffed. "Yeah, I call it Dead Girl Walking."<br>Lydia coughed politely and looked at Rose significantly. "I believe you were about to explain to us just exactly what is going on?" She said pointedly.  
>Rose looked at Lydia and smiled wanly. "Of course… I'm sorry. Where do I begin?" She murmured almost to herself, before shaking her head and looking at the pack. "Okay… Let's talk about my family." She said, adjusting in her seat and twisting her hands together. Taking a deep breath, she began.<p>

"I did not kill Aurora Lyall." She stated, looking directly at Scott as she said this. He shifted in his seat awkwardly and stared at her.

Rose continued, "My name is Aurora Rosamund Lyall, I am sixteen years old, and I am part of the Lyall family. We stretch back for years and years and as far as anyone can tell, we have always been werewolves. The family has had specialist historians try and trace back to who was the first, but it's impossible to truly know.

According to family legend, the first wolf was a young lord known as Nathaniel Lascelle. He was hunting with his squire when a wolf attacked him. The squire ran away, leaving his master for dead… Yet Nathaniel survived. Henceforth, he was known as the Young Wolf about court or 'ulfr', for it became known that he wrestled with the creature and somehow managed to kill the beast, walking away with his life…. This was not so.  
>In reality, Nathaniel was bitten by an alpha, yet he beheaded the brute almost immediately afterwards with his broadsword. From then on, he became the alpha of his attackers pack and eventually rose in fame and fortune throughout the land.<br>The story of Nathaniel was something my siblings and I were told from the moment we were born. Most children were raised on stories of glass slippers and true loves first kiss… Yet we were sent to bed with tales of grisly murder and the supernatural.

"This was not the worst thing about my childhood. You must understand: a family that has survived and even thrived throughout all of the uprisings, wars and revolutions of this world tends to stick to its traditions. After all, it was these traditions that enabled the continuation of the family name. Unfortunately for me, one of these traditions was adoration for a patriarchal hierarchy. Technically I can understand it; you don't continue a dynasty through females… Yet this complete and utter dismissal of all things feminine was always a difficult thing for me to understand or accept. I often fought with my Father about it, but he was a conservative man that didn't like the idea of change. He was convinced that the old ways were what was best for the family, so we slowly became distant, until we never spoke at all." Rose took a deep breath, briefly took a sip of water offered to her by Stiles before continuing.

"The Lyall family hierarchy is very simple. The family patriarch sits at the top of the pyramid, next comes his heir; the first born son, then the family council; which is comprised of uncles, grandfathers, cousins, and various men who have married into the family, next is the matriarch; the wife of the patriarch, then the daughters of the patriarch, then the women who have married into the family. As you can see, I was very low on the pyramid, as I wasn't even the first-born daughter… I was the third child that nobody really wanted. Tradition states that the patriarch should ideally have one boy and one girl, other sons are allowed, but a second daughter is frowned upon. I was viewed as the least of the least from the moment I was born.

"My Mother, Janine, was the perfect matriarch. She was cold-hearted, political and dastardly clever. She gave birth to Jeremy first, which was ideal as it meant that the eldest child would become the heir, and no questions of his claim as future head of the family would be raised.  
>Next came Scarlett, my older sister, who was cool, measured and fair: the perfect second child. Everything was as it should be… Then I was born, and I was everything a Lyall shouldn't be: A second girl, opinionated and fierce. The Family Council had wanted to abort me, but Janine wouldn't let them for some strange reason. She later said she regretted it, and that I was the worst thing that ever happened to her..." Rose trailed off, seemingly lost in memory, before shaking her head and continuing.<p>

"Anyway, as I said, I was an impossible child: willful, uncooperative and I had a furious temper; I was Janine's worst nightmare. Eventually, through a variety of hard lessons I learnt to tame my tongue, stay calm and go about my business as quietly as possible.  
>That was never good enough though. My mother liked to taunt me, make me feel foolish and small. She often pitted Jeremy and I against each other … I always lost. He was older, stronger and smarter in every way. It was all designed as a strange sort of revenge on me I think, but I didn't understand and it just made me resentful and furious. I began to hate Janine, and Jeremy as well with all my heart. I used to dream that there had been a mistake in the birthing room; that I had been swapped with another child. Yet there was no mistaking my birthright, I looked exactly like my mother from the day I was born.<p>

"Years passed. Jeremy grew callous and proud, and Janine continued to feed his ego by comparing the two of us and pointing out just how inadequate I was when compared with him… Then came the night of my first change. I was eight years old when the family realized I was exhibiting signs of lycanthropy. Eight was young; Jeremy had been thirteen on his first moon and Scarlett eleven. Generally speaking, the younger you are the more powerful you'll become. This made Janine furious.  
>On the night of the full moon, she dismissed all of the staff that usually aided a young werewolf through their first shift. She told them that she wanted to be the one to help her darling daughter through the change.<br>She didn't do this.  
>Instead, she chained me against a wall and locked me in the basement, alone and terrified.<br>Later, she returned; just as I was beginning to shift, and brought Jeremy down to watch me struggle..."

_Two figures made their way down the stairs, their shadows flickering across the room, dancing in the light of the full moon. Aurora struggled in vain to free herself from her confines, and roared in frustration as she failed. A high, cold laughter filled the room, as Janine slid into slight, clutching Jeremy's hand. The two looked at Aurora pitilessly, and Jeremy grinned sadistically as he realized just how powerless his sister truly was.  
>"What was it that they said mother? The younger they shift the more powerful they are? I'm struggling to see evidence of this." A fourteen-year-old Jeremy taunted, smiling cruelly.<br>Janine smiled and laughed along with her son. "I should have let them kill you Aurora, you're a pathetic little creature. It's a small wonder the shift hasn't killed you yet… Bitch."  
><em>_Aurora roared in fury as she watched the two people she hated most in the world laugh at her pain.  
><em>_"Leave me alone!" She snarled, pulling in vain against her chains.  
><em>_Her Mother's eyes glittered with malice as she moved closer to Aurora. "So pathetic, so weak… You truly are the bitch of this pack, aren't you Aurora?" She questioned, grinning maniacally._

_Suddenly, Aurora ripped her chains from the wall and jumped on top of her mother, forcing her to the ground. Aurora's claws were quickly unsheathed and she proceeded to tear her Janine's face to ribbons. Janine shrieked in pain, yet a combination of shock and agony prevented her from protecting herself, or even shifting. Aurora began to strangle her, her claws piercing and shredding the delicate skin protecting her neck.  
>Eventually Aurora sliced through her Mothers jugular vein and blood spurted out all over the little girl. This didn't slow her down however. She twisted Janine's head at a painfully unnatural angle, snapping it quickly and killing her mother in a single moment. Stepping up, she stared murderously at Jeremy, flashing her fangs at him in a threat and a promise. He stumbled back against the door, whimpering.<br>"Please…" He whispered. "Please I'm so sorry, please just let me live." He sobbed, wringing his hands in pleading. Rose cocked her head to the side and looked at him inquisitively. As she regarded the pathetic sight of her older brother begging for his life, she spat some blood, (hers or Janine's she was unsure,) onto the ground at his feet. Slowly, her bloodlust quelled and her eyes faded from gold to their usual brown. She pointed at the door with a single claw.  
>"Go." She commanded. <em>

_Jeremy flung the door open and fled for his life, all the while wailing for his mother._

Rose sighed and looked at the people assembled in front of her, eyes filled with tears of regret. "I killed my own Mother." She stated, wiping the tears from her eyes furiously. "Of course I didn't mean it; I was young and angry and out of control… But I still committed matricide. I'm still a murderer. I show the evidence of it every time I shift in my eyes: killer omega blue. It's inescapable." She sighed.  
>The pack stared at her in shocked silence, before Scott coughed and prompted her to continue her tale. "Keep going." He encouraged.<br>"If you can." Stiles added, looking at Rose in concern.

Rose sighed and nodded. "From then on, I was hated even more by the family. I'd killed the matriarch, widowed the patriarch and left the heir motherless all in one foul swoop. It would have been considered impressive if it weren't so horrifying. They didn't give me up to the authorities though, they couldn't. Even though I was a killer, I was still a Lyall and they always look after family. I was outcast though, forbidden from family events, isolated from the other children. Jeremy hated me for killing Janine, and when he began to beat me, the elders did nothing about it.

"The only bright points in my childhood were Scarlett and Maree. Scarlett was able to look past the killing in a remarkable feat of forgiveness and understanding, and still treated me as a little sister. She played with me, brushed my hair and treated me as any sister would. Sometimes when I was with her I even forgot about the death momentarily.  
>Maree was hired as my governess and was charged with looking after me until I turned eighteen. She was a good woman, strong, intelligent and moral. She saw the way my family punished me and considered it worse than prison. She was the only adult I'd ever known who was kind to me. She became my mother in everything but blood… I loved her.<p>

"The name Aurora had so much history and misery behind it, I began to hate my own name. In an attempt to give me a fresh start, Scarlett and Maree started calling me Rose, my second name. It was a small gesture, but it gave me enough strength to continue living my life and dealing with the everyday horrors that came with being Aurora Lyall.

"Time passed. I grew up, went to school, made friends, and lost them. Jeremy abused me often, but I took self-defense classes and learnt how to block his attacks in such a way that made him think he was still hurting me, when in reality I was only slightly injured. This way, he kept his pride and I kept my health, it was a good arrangement.  
>I was depressed occasionally, but Maree always managed to cheer me up. For the most part, I was surviving. Was I happy? No. But I was still breathing, and every breath felt like a victory against those who wished me dead… So I kept going.<p>

"Then came the night of the fight. Jeremy had just come home from a party, he was drunk and angry and keen for a violent confrontation. I, of course, became his victim. I begged him not to hurt me, but he insisted..."

"_Jeremy, please don't do this." Aurora begged, trying to calm her brother down.__  
><em>_Jeremy put his drink down and smiled sadistically at his little sister. "There you go again, trying to tell me what to do… Don't you understand 'sis? I am head of this family, I am the boy, I make the decisions, and I call the shots! You? You do nothing. You are the bitch of this pack, in every sense of the word; the sooner I can get rid of you, the better." He said venomously.__  
><em>_Aurora flinched at his words, but stood there silently, unresisting. Jeremy grinned maniacally at her and continued his rant.__  
><em>_"Your only job is to look nice and flash that pretty little smile of yours on cue." He said, grabbing her jaw and forcing her to look at him. "You don't get a say, you don't get to contribute; the only thing you get is orders from me that you then follow."  
><em>_Aurora forced her jaw out of his hands and looked at him with sadness in her eyes. "Jeremy, I don't understand why there's such bad blood between us. We're brother and sister, why do you hate me so?" She questioned innocently.  
><em>_Jeremy's faced contorted in rage. "You murdered my Mother, you monster. You tore her from this world and then had the gall to look at me with her eyes every day and pretend you were innocent in the act. Bad blood?" He said furiously, pushing her.  
><em>_"Bad blood?" He demanded, pushing her again.  
><em>_Aurora stumbled back and looked at him with a tortured expression. "She wasn't my fault." She protested weakly.  
><em>_Jeremy bared his teeth at her and his eyes flashed red. "What we have is not bad blood, oh sister mine, this is not a petty conflict that can be settled with pretty words and therapy." He hissed. __"What we share is unadulterated loathing, and it will not go away until I stick a wolfsbane laced dagger through your heart." He threatened, shoving her again. __"Fight me!" He demanded.  
><em>_Aurora shook her head sadly. "Jeremy, you're drunk and upset. I'm not going to fight you."  
><em>_Jeremy pushed her again. "Of course." He laughed. "Ever the bitch, too afraid to fight, like always. Bitch." He taunted.  
><em>_Aurora growled and her eyes flashed blue. "Don't call me a bitch." She said.  
><em>_Jeremy shoved her again. "Bitch." He said with a sadistic smirk.  
><em>_Aurora shoved him back. "Don't." She warned, punctuating the word with another push._

_Jeremy's eyes widened as he realized she was going to fight back and he stumbled back slightly.__  
><em>_"Don't call me a bitch." She said, slamming her fist into his face. "Don't push me." She said, "Don't pretend you're better than me, simply because you're a boy, you masochistic piece of scum." She said, delivering a fierce uppercut to his chin. "And don't you ever, blame our mother's death on me again." She said, fly kicking him in the face. Jeremy crumpled to the ground, clearly unconscious. She took one last glance at him, crushed her foot into his face and heard the satisfying crunch of a broken nose. She spat on him and was about to leave when the only door in the room opened and a figure stepped in, it was Scarlett._

_She appraised the scene with a mere raise of her perfectly shaped eyebrow, and then looked at Rose coolly.  
>"That." She stated. "Was not wise." She said, gesturing at Jeremy's unconscious figure.<br>Aurora bit her lip. "I know." She admitted. "I was just so sick of being a punching bag, I tried to reason with him, but he wouldn't listen, and then he used the word… You know the one Janine always used to call me." She explained.  
>Scarlett nodded and made her way down the stairs. "You need to leave." She advised, poking her brother with her boot. He remained unconscious.<br>Aurora raised her eyebrows. "And go where? The family is wealthy and influential beyond belief, there's nowhere I could run where Jeremy wouldn't find me."  
>Scarlett sighed. "I don't know Rose… But you need to get out of here; the backlash of you beating Jeremy to a pulp will be horrific. You think they won't make you pay for this? He's the heir. Father is dead, and as far as the Lyalls are concerned, Jeremy is God."<br>Aurora nodded to herself and considered her options in silence, before finally saying: "You're right of course, I need to leave... I can't live like this anymore. Anything is better than here, but where do I go? What do I do?"  
>Scarlett shrugged. "I don't know." She admitted. "I can give you the address of some people who can make you disappear without a trace… But that's all I can do. Take Maree with you, you can pose as mother and daughter, it'll make things less suspect. Besides, they'll kill her if you don't, they know how much you love her."<br>Aurora sighed and took one last look around her. "This is it, isn't it? This is what I have to do to survive." She questioned. Scarlett nodded sympathetically and embraced her sister. "Be safe." She whispered in her ear softly.  
>Aurora nodded and sniffled quietly. "I love you Scar." She said, embracing her sister tightly.<br>Scarlett smiled. "Love you too Rose… Now go."_

"And so I went. Maree and I fled the mansion almost immediately, we hid out in nondescript hotels and shelters for a month, while I organised for various people to siphon funds from family accounts into a single account that we'd later use to pay for necessities when we settled into towns.  
>Both Maree and I visited Scarlett's contact, who gave us a host of new identities and also transformed us physically. Then, we travelled to Nebraska. When we thought it was time to go, we left and moved to another state… I think we went to Oklahoma next. We continued like this for a long time, moving from state to state whenever we thought it wasn't safe anymore. Each time we moved, we dumped our old identities and adopted new ones. I've been so many different people: Bonnie Cartwright, Charlie Jameson, Aimee Parkville… The only name that even closely resembled my own was the one I used when we arrived in Beacon Hills: Rose Hunter.<br>I loved Beacon Hills. I was called Rose again, and something about the town just felt right. Then I met Mason, Nessa and…" Rose paused and looked at Liam before continuing.  
>"And Liam, and it was as if I finally had a life that I was happy with.<br>Then the Bad Blood murders started. It was obvious Jeremy had ordered them; he was carving the words I'd said to him before our fight as a twisted sort of call to me, he knew I'd feel guilty about it. That, and he was killing werewolf packs. He must have thought I'd run to other packs for protection… I don't know." She muttered, shaking her head.

"Anyway, the killings continued, the mercenaries got closer and closer to California, but I didn't want to move again. I was happy. I had friends, school, and everything else I could possibly want, and I refused to let Jeremy take that away from me. So when Maree, who you all know as Charity, told me it was time for us to go again… I refused.

"Then everything came crashing down. You all somehow found out that I'd killed someone, and asked Liam to kiss me to prove if my eyes were blue. That was clever, I'll admit, using Liam as a plant to figure out what I was, I never suspected a thing, I well and truly fell for him." Rose admitted, looking at him sadly.

"Then we fought, you all saw, and I didn't heal for some reason, so I went to the hospital. A couple of hours later I was discharged, and went home to find Maree's body sliced and diced on our kitchen floor. I hid for a while, thinking that maybe the killers would come back and look for me… But they didn't, and then Stiles pulled up in front of the house…. And now, here I am. Helpless, vulnerable and weak… With no idea what to do." She stated, looking at all of them blankly.

* * *

><p><em>And so the truth is revealed! Were any of you expecting it to be like this? Review and let me know! As always, a huge thanks must go out to everyone who reviewed the previous chapters, as well as my awesome Beta-Reader Halo-Lucinda-Ivy! Stay tuned for a new chapter coming soon.<br>__Thank you so much for reading!_

- Ivy


	11. Clean

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf, nor any of its characters.

**CHAPTER ELEVEN  
><strong>**Clean**

"_We're inevitable, Waldorf."  
>- Chuck Bass, Gossip Girl.<em>

* * *

><p>The pack stared at her, slack jawed and shocked. Lydia was the first to speak.<br>"Oh… Oh my God." She said, leaning against the couch and looking at Rose in amazement.  
>Kira looked at her with utmost sympathy. "I'm so sorry…" She murmured.<br>Scott was similarly shocked; he ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. "That is… Unbelievable." He said. Rose frowned at him, and he quickly backtracked. "Not to say that I don't believe you, I totally do; it's just… God that's _awful." _He said, before looking at Derek. "Did you _know _about this Derek?" He questioned.  
>Derek shook his head. "No. Our families were allies; we occasionally went to Chicago to see the Lyalls and we always knew that they were old fashioned, but this? No, I had no idea. Rose's Dad, Daniel Lyall, he told everyone his wife was killed by a rival alpha. We had no idea…" He trailed off, looking at Rose in sympathy. "I'm so sorry." He said. "If we'd have known –"<br>"It's fine Derek. I never expected anyone to save me, or even find out about what had happened. It was supposed to be a family secret." She explained, refusing to let him feel guilty about her situation.

Malia turned to Stiles and looked at him significantly. "I _told _you Jeremy was a bad guy." She said.  
>Stiles looked at her in exasperation. "Not now." He muttered, slinging his arm around her shoulders and briefly kissing her temple.<p>

"So now I've told you my story, I think I can be afforded a few explanations of my own." She stated. "Who are you all? I know Derek, Liam and Scott are werewolves… I can smell it on them. Malia's were-something, coyote maybe? You smell like a were-coyote who used to visit sometimes. But Lydia? You're not were anything… But you're not human either; it's the same with Kira. Stiles and Braeden are human, which is startling considering the company they keep really. So spill, I refuse to be in the dark about you all now that I've laid my soul bare for all of you to judge and analyse." She said, crossing her arms.

Throughout the entire exchange, Liam stared at Rose in gut wrenching guilt. He silently pleaded for her to look his way, but she refused to even spare him a glance, presumably thinking everything he had done, all of the time they'd spent together was just a ploy so he could figure out what she was.

Scott looked at his pack and took a deep breath. "I'm the alpha of this pack." He admitted.  
>"True alpha." Stiles added.<br>Rose raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Impressive." She murmured, looking at Scott with a new respect.  
>"Derek and Liam are my betas, I bit Liam to save his life, and Derek is obviously a born werewolf." Scott continued, before gesturing for Kira to tell her piece of the story.<br>"I'm a Kitsune." She said, looking Rose in the eye.  
>Rose frowned and bit her lip. "I'm sorry, can you explain?"<br>Kira smiled. "Of course. A Kitsune is a Japanese creature, there are a lot of different types; I'm a thunder Kitsune, so I can absorb electricity. Then there's the usual supernatural stuff, healing, being able to run quite fast…" She explained.  
>Rose nodded. "Okay… Okay I think I remember something about it. The Lyalls are supposed to well versed in pretty much all mythology, but I left when I was young so…"<br>Kira smiled reassuringly. "It's okay." She said.  
>Malia leant against Stiles. "I'm a were-coyote." She said. "Why do you smell like Stiles?" She demanded.<br>Rose raised an eyebrow. "He kissed me, then I slept in his clothes. That would probably explain my scent." She replied bluntly.  
>Malia's eyes flashed in jealousy and she made to get up and attack Rose. But Stiles grabbed her and pulled her back onto the couch with him.<br>"Woah, woah, woah! She was having a panic attack, I had to shock her out of it!" Stiles explained, looking at Rose pointedly.  
>Rose nodded in agreement. "Trust me it was completely platonic, like kissing a brother." She assured.<br>Malia sat down and eyed Rose cautiously. Rose broke her gaze and looked at Lydia in expectation.  
>"Which leaves you." She prompted, looking at her curiously.<br>Lydia sighed. "Banshee, not a very good one though; I thought Aurora Lyall was dead."  
>Rose shifted in her seat. "Did you though? Did it feel like it usually does when people die?" She questioned.<br>Lydia frowned slightly and bit her lip. "Not really." She admitted. "It was more like she didn't exist." She confessed.  
>Rose shrugged. "That's easy then. Technically, Aurora hasn't existed for a long time, since Scarlett and Maree started calling me Rose. I don't identify as Aurora anymore, that, combined with the fact that I've been using fake names and the like for the past six months… No wonder you thought Aurora didn't exist. She's really only a memory nowadays." Rose explained.<br>The pack looked at her, clearly impressed, she regarded them all and shrugged again. "It's not difficult to figure out, common sense really." She said, tapping her temple. "Is there anything else I should know?" She questioned.

There was a pregnant pause as everyone waited for someone to say something regarding the mates situation existing between Liam and Rose… But no one did.

Stiles clapped his hands together and looked between Liam and Rose, they were a miserable sight. Liam had since given up trying to get her attention, and was now looking anywhere except at her, and Rose was staring daggers at him.  
>"Right then." He commanded. "You two take a walk." He said, gesturing between Liam and Rose.<br>The two young wolves looked at him in surprise. "The last time I was even remotely alone with Liam, he smashed my head into the sidewalk." Rose pointed out.  
>Liam made an indignant sound of protest. "To be fair, you also smashed <em>my <em>head into the sidewalk."  
>Rose looked at him derisively. "Shut up." She said.<br>"Don't tell me to shut up." He retorted.  
>Rose spun around to completely face him. "Don't say idiotic crap then, Liam." She replied.<br>Liam sighed in exasperation. "Idiotic crap? You're such an - "  
>"OKAY THEN!" Scott interrupted. "You two don't get a choice in this. Either take a walk and talk things over, or we'll find another supply closet and force you two together like Nessa and Mason did." He commanded.<br>Derek snorted in humour.  
>Liam looked at Scott in protest. "But!"<br>"No buts." Scott replied evenly.  
>Rose looked at Stiles pleadingly. "Stiles please don't make me do this, he's an absolute asshole." She begged.<br>Stiles sighed and then smiled. "He may be an absolute asshole, but he's _your _asshole, and besides, you two have a lot to talk about." He said.  
>Rose glared at Liam. "Fine." She huffed. "But if you don't hear from me, it's because he's grievously injured me and I had to run away again in order to heal." She explained, storming out of the door.<br>Liam watched her go incredulously. "Do you see what I have to deal with?" He demanded, gesturing at her retreating form.  
>The pack collectively smirked.<br>"Heard that!" Rose shot back to him.  
>"Good!" He yelled, shooting the pack one last glance before storming after her.<p>

Rose slammed the door behind her and ran down the stairs of the loft as quickly as she could. There was no _way _she way even attempting to listen to what Liam had to say. He'd pretended to like her, drawn her in, made her believe they could have been something, and then left her high and dry. That was not something she needed an explanation for.  
>"Rose! Wait up." He called, running after her.<br>Rose scowled and sped up, refusing to let him see the tears that were beginning to form in her eyes.  
>"Rose!" He said, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards him. She forced her arm out of his grip and looked at him challengingly.<br>"What Liam? What is it that you could possibly want after all of this? Don't you think you've had your fun?" She snarled.  
>Liam gulped and ran a hand through his hair nervously. "Look. I'm really sorry about the way things happened." He began, but Rose merely snorted derisively in response.<br>"Yeah? Well so am I. See you later Liam." She said, moving to walk away, but he grabbed her again. Rose swung around and looked at him in frustration. "WHAT Dunbar?"  
>"Would you just listen to me for a goddamn minute Hunter?" He demanded.<br>Rose rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest. "What? So you can tell me it wasn't an act? That you really did care about me? That's sweet Liam, it really is, but it's a little late don't you think?" She questioned.  
>Liam opened his mouth as if to reply but she cut him off again.<br>"I mean, you don't just get to change your tune just because you found out I have a tragic backstory, news flash buddy, I _always _had a tragic backstory. The girl who's feelings you've been playing around with for the past who knows how long is the exact same girl whose parents didn't love her and whose brother beat her up…. And you betrayed her." She said bitterly, shaking her head.

Liam moved to comfort her, but she pulled away from him. "Do you get how much of a big deal that is?" She demanded. "You were the first person I'd trusted in a _really long time _and you _betrayed _me." She stated, looking at him in disappointment and sadness.  
>Liam sighed. "And I'm sorry for that, really, you cannot believe how sorry I am, and I will spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you if that's what you need, but listen to me." He said, clutching her shoulders and staring deep into her eyes. Rose struggled for a moment, before finally giving up and looking at him expectantly.<br>"What?" She asked tiredly.  
>"I wasn't an act." He stated simply. Rose raised an eyebrow in response, and he rushed to further explain himself.<br>"Sure, when Scott and Stiles were suspicious of you I said I'd keep an eye on you, but that wasn't it." He assured. "I didn't realise it straight away, and it took Brett Talbot taking you on a date for me to realise that I cared about you, that I _minded _if someone was taking you on dates and that someone wasn't me."  
>Rose sighed. "Just because you were jealous doesn't mean you cared about me Liam, just…"<br>Liam interrupted her mid-sentence. "No. It's not just jealously Rose. It's like, when I'm with you I am the best version of myself, and you are the best version of yourself when you're with me. We're not co-dependent, I can live without you just fine and you can live without me just fine as well, but why would we want to? We are stronger together than we ever would be apart." He stated, looking at her fiercely.  
>Rose bit her lip, but didn't deny what he was saying.<br>"But you _kissed _me just to prove a point." She accused, looking at him in betrayal.  
>Liam sighed in exasperation. "And do you know how mad that makes me? Here I have this girl who I am <em>crazy <em>about, she is perfect for me in every single way imaginable, and the first time I kissed her was to prove some dumb point. If I could take that back would, but I can't. So here I am trying to explain myself to you so we can move on."  
>Rose shook her head. "I don't know if it's enough Liam. Yeah, I care about you... A lot. Way more than I probably should, but maybe it's just not meant to be, you know? Maybe this was a first love thing that we'll look back at when we're older and smile." She suggested, beginning to cry.<br>Liam shook his head. "No, can you honestly imagine being with anyone else Rose? Answer me truthfully now."  
>Rose frowned. "That's not fair, you're standing right there and making me feel all of these emotions I can't even make sense of. Of course I can't imagine being with anyone else, not when you're standing right in front of me and saying all of this stuff and… And." She trailed off, looking at him helplessly.<br>Liam smiled at her and shook his head. "You don't get it, you can't imagine being with someone else, not because I'm standing right here, but because there's never going to be anyone else Rose." He said assuredly.  
>Rose sighed. "How could you possibly know that?" She questioned.<br>Liam smiled. "Because that's why we're not healing." He said.  
>Rose frowned in confusion for a moment, but her eyes soon widened in realisation. "No…" She said.<br>Liam smirked. "Rose, this thing that we have? It's more than just some first love you look back at and smile at in your old age. We are so much more than that; we're unavoidable… Inevitable. We're _true_ _mates._" He revealed.

Rose stared at him in shock. "No…No it can't be." She said, shaking her head vehemently.  
>Liam smirked. "Fine. Don't believe me, kiss me and I'll prove it to you."<br>Rose looked at him in frustration. "How is that supposed to prove anything, other than you're a good kisser?" She demanded.  
>Liam licked his lips and raised his eyebrows. "Good kisser, hey?" He questioned.<br>Rose blushed. "Shut _up_ Liam."  
>Liam shrugged, "If was just thinking if you kissed me, maybe we'd heal, but whatever, if you like being injured, by all means heal the old fashioned way." He said.<br>Rose sighed in frustration. "That's not fair, if I kiss you it'll just be another dumb kiss to prove another dumb point." She protested.  
>Liam bit his lip and considered what she was saying. "You're right." He admitted.<br>Rose nodded. "So… What now?" She questioned.  
>Liam sighed, "I don't know." He said. "Could you consider forgiving me?" He asked.<br>Rose sighed and looked at him. "Liam, I couldn't stay mad at you even if I tried… It's you." She muttered, looking at him in defeat.

Liam grinned despite himself and Rose sighed in exasperation. "Can you not do that?" She demanded, looking at him in frustration. Liam's smile dropped and he frowned in confusion.  
>"Not do what?" He questioned.<br>"Stop looking so goddamn… I don't know! I'm trying really hard not to kiss you right now and you're making it very difficult for me." She explained, her eyes trailing down to his lips despite herself.  
>Liam grinned again and slowly encircled his arms around her waist. "What about now, does that make things easier?" He questioned innocently.<br>Rose narrowed her eyes at him. "No, kinda the opposite." She murmured.  
>Liam smirked. "Really? Oh I'm sorry, what about now?" He said, and he drew her closer to him until they were chest to chest.<br>Rose's cheeks flushed and she looked up at him, flustered. "You're definitely making things worse." She remarked, yet made no move to turn away.  
>Liam quirked an eyebrow up, "Oh really? That's a shame because…"<br>Rose sighed in exasperation. "Would you just shut up?" She demanded, before grabbing his neck and pulling him down to kiss her.

Liam smiled against her lips before eagerly responding to her, his arms tightening around her waist and his lips attacking hers. Rose's hands snaked into his hair and she gripped his hair tightly, forcing him even closer to her. Liam bit softly down on her bottom lip and she moaned in appreciation, sucking gently on his upper lip. He smelled _clean, _like soap and laundry powder and cologne and Rose couldn't get enough of it. Everything about him was so goddamn _perfect_ Rose began to wonder why she hadn't done this sooner. Liam's tongue brushed against hers and fireworks shot through her brain like the fourth of July. Eventually, Rose pulled away from him and rested her forehead against his, breathing deeply.  
>Liam held her up by the chin and appraised her face. "Would you look at that." He remarked.<br>Rose frowned. "What?" She questioned.  
>Liam looked at her and grinned. "Your black eye." He said, kissing the corner of her eye softly. "It's magically disappeared."<p>

* * *

><p><em>Yay! They're finally back together! Feel free to leave a review telling me what you thought, what your reaction was... Etc. Thanks as always to the people who reviewed the last chapter and Halo-Lucinda-Ivy for being my beautiful Beta reader. :)<br>__Stay tuned for the next chapter, which should be coming soon!  
><em>

_- Ivy_

_P.S If you haven't seen my profile yet, go an check it out as I have links to Polyvore collections and an imgur album that has fashion, gifs and scenery photos from Bad Blood if you're interested! _


	12. The Aftermath

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf, nor any of its characters.

**CHAPTER TWELVE  
><strong>**The Aftermanth**

"_If you're going through hell, keep going." _

_- Winston Churchill._

* * *

><p>Parrish stood up as Rose entered the Sherriff's office. "Listen Rose, I'm really sorry about your Mom." He said consolingly.<br>Rose flashed him a brave smile as she felt the now-familiar tears begin to well up behind her eyes. "Me too Parrish, me too." She said.  
>"You're here to give a statement?" He questioned. Rose nodded.<br>"Alright then, I'll go and get the Sherriff." He said comfortingly, gesturing for her to take a seat.  
>Rose sat down on the hard, cold plastic of the waiting room chair and slowly went over the story everyone had agreed on at the pack meeting.<br>"My name is Rosamund Celia Hunter. My Mother was Charity Amelia Hunter. She was killed last week. I was not home at the time of the incident. I was in hospital." She whispered fiercely to herself, repeating the words over and over again like a mantra.

"Rose are you ready to come in?" Sherriff Stilinski enquired. Rose looked up and nodded. The Sherriff walked into one of the interview rooms and sat down at the desk. "Okay, just to get things clear before we start the tape. You are Aurora Lyall, correct?" He asked  
>"Yes."<br>"But we can't reveal that right now because your brother will find you and kill you." He continued.  
>"Also correct."<br>The Sherriff shook his head. "This town I swear…" He muttered, before pressing play on the recording device.

"Please give me your full name and age Miss." He said kindly.  
>Rose sighed. "My name is Rosamund Mackenzie Hunter, I am sixteen years old." She said.<br>"Can you please tell me about the night of the incident Miss Hunter?" The Sherriff questioned.  
>Rose swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. "My Mother was killed last week. That afternoon, I got into a fight at school. I had to go to the hospital because I had a concussion, I was there for a few hours before I came home." Rose paused for a moment before continuing.<br>"I went into the house and smelt something strange coming from the kitchen, so I made my way in and found my mother on the kitchen floor. She… Her body… Um, I'm sorry." Rose said, beginning to cry at the memory.  
>"It's okay. Continue when you're ready." The Sherriff encouraged.<br>"Um, the words Bad Blood were carved into her body and her throat had been cut." Rose said, a small sob escaping her.  
>"Is there anyone who would want to hurt your mom Rose, did she have any enemies?" The Sherriff pressed.<br>"She… She's skittish. We always moved around a lot, I never really asked about it though, she is… I'm sorry she _was_ a pretty private person." Rose confessed.  
>The Sherriff nodded thoughtfully. "Do you think there's a possibility Charity could have… Agitated powerful people?"<br>Rose shrugged "I don't really know, like I said we never really talked about her life before me."  
>The Sherriff nodded. "Okay, well thank you very much Miss Hunter, as you have no living relatives, you are now a ward of the state and will reside with the Stilinski family. Is that okay with you?" He queried.<br>Rose nodded. "Yes sir."  
>The Sherriff smiled at her and stood up from his seat. "Thank you for your co-operation Miss Hunter, you're free to go." He said.<p>

* * *

><p>Rose stabbed manically at the controller buttons. "C'mon…" She muttered, quickly shooting at one of her adversaries.<br>Stiles grinned at her. "Watch out." He warned, before coming up behind her and stabbing her in the head.  
>"Hey!" Rose called in indignation, watching as her character died on the screen in front of her. She turned to Stiles. "That wasn't fair." She said, jutting out her bottom lip.<br>Stiles rolled his eyes. "You can't be good at _everything _Rose." He reminded her.  
>Rose scoffed. "I can <em>try.<em>" She protested.  
>Stiles sat back against the couch and looked at her in amusement. "You didn't even know how to use an Xbox controller two hours ago, I'm gonna go ahead and say you're doing pretty well." He said.<br>Rose sighed and sat back against the couch with him. "I suppose you're right." She conceded.

Stiles grinned for a moment, but then looked at her seriously. "So are you…"  
>Rose groaned. "Don't." She advised, lolling her head to the side to look at him.<br>Stiles frowned. "Don't what?"  
>Rose sighed. "Ask about the funeral. As soon as I start talking about it, I start crying." She explained, sighing again.<br>Stiles shifted slightly and looked at her seriously. "That's not such a bad thing Rose, hell it might even be healthy." He suggested.  
>Rose blew a piece of hair from her forehead. "Okay then, what do you want me to say?" She said.<br>Stiles shrugged. "Just talk about it, bottling it up doesn't help." He said.  
>Rose crossed her legs and bit her lip, already feeling tears beginning to burn at the back of her eyes. "It's at three o'clock today." She began. "Um, Liam's going to drive me there, but he's not going to the actual funeral with me. I want to be alone with her one last time before she's gone forever." She said, beginning to cry. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she continued. "Nothing religious, just a burial and some flowers, she didn't really do the whole God thing." She explained, sobbing.<br>Stiles pulled her into a hug and stroked her hair soothingly. "Hey." He murmured. "It's okay."  
>Rose sobbed into his chest. "I can't believe she's gone." She whispered.<p>

* * *

><p>Rose stood at the grave silently, the wind blowing her hair madly in every direction. She clutched a bunch of lilies tightly in her hand, holding onto them as if they were a lifeboat in a raging storm.<br>She stared silently at the grave: "Maree Williams. 1964 – 2014. _Once was enough._"  
>Rose smiled at the quote, remembering the first time Maree had told her of it.<p>

_Rose stirred her tea absently, the teaspoon clinking softly against the delicate china as she stared out of the window. "Maree, are you afraid of dying?" She questioned suddenly.  
>Maree looked up from her newspaper and brought her glasses down her nose, she looked at Rose inquisitively. "Why on earth would you ask me that Rose?" She said, placing her newspaper on the coffee table.<br>Rose shrugged. "We're learning about reincarnation in school at the moment. I think I'd quite like to be reincarnated, get another chance at a better life, this one hasn't been so great."  
>Maree rolled her eyes. "Listen to me child and listen good: You are not defined by your tragedies, nor should you allow yourself to be. You are exactly who you want to be and nothing less. Life is not about whom you were born, it's about who you become. Remember that." She said, taking a sip of coffee.<br>Rose quirked an eyebrow up, "So you don't believe in reincarnation?" She questioned.  
>Maree snorted. "You only live once my dear, but here's the secret: If you do it right, once is enough."<br>And with that, she pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose and returned to her newspaper._

Rose bit her lip as she began to cry again. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'm sorry you got sucked into this world of murder and tragedy and loss. I'm sorry we had to run away from it all. I'm sorry I didn't always appreciate you, and what you sacrificed in order to take care of me. I'm sorry I didn't listen. I'm sorry I refused to leave when you said they were coming. I'm sorry I wasn't there. I'm sorry I couldn't save you when you needed me. I'm so, so sorry." She sobbed.

She stood at the grave and wept. She wept for Maree, and the tragedy of her death, She wept out of guilt and sadness and depression. She cried until her tears ran dry and there was nothing left to cry about. Then she silently placed the lilies on the grave and walked back to the car.

* * *

><p>Rose lay on Liam's bed and rested her head on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. He stroked her hair slowly as they both watched <em>Game of Thrones <em>together. "This guy is an asshole." Liam commented.  
>Rose let out a single humourless laugh. "He reminds me of my brother." She remarked.<br>Liam paused the show for a moment and looked down at her. "Do you want to talk about Maree? Or Jeremy? Or any of this craziness?" He questioned.  
>Rose sighed and traced patterns on his chest. "Honestly? Not really. I feel like all I've done is talked and talked and talked about it. Whenever I go home, Stiles hovers around me and asks if I want to talk, so we do, and then I cry. Earlier today I had to give my statement to the police about Maree, so I did, and then I cried some more. Then today at the funeral, I spoke to Maree and I cried again. I'm just really sick of talking and crying Liam, I just want to sit here with you, and watch mindless television until my eyes turn square." She said, huddling closer to him.<br>Liam nodded. "That's cool, and I'm happy to do that with you for as long as you need." He said.  
>Rose smiled and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. "Thank you." She said gratefully.<br>Liam smiled at her. "There's just one thing." He said,.  
>Rose sighed. "What?"<br>"You probably need to talk to Nessa at some point."

* * *

><p>Rose rang the doorbell of the Collins household, nervously shifting from foot to foot. Nessa's Mom soon answered the door and smiled sympathetically at her.<br>"Hi Rose, I'm so sorry about your Mom sweetie." She said, opening the door wider and gesturing for her to enter.  
>Rose nodded, a gesture she was beginning to realise was the perfect go-to when she felt the dangerous lump in her throat start to rise, signalling she was about to cry. "Thanks Alice, is Nessa home?" She queried.<br>Alice nodded and smiled. "Of course, she's in her room sweetie. Go on in."  
>Rose smiled and made her way down the hall. Knocking softly on the door before slowly opening it, she peered over the doorway.<br>"Rose! Oh my God are you okay? Come in, come in!" Nessa said madly, rushing to hug her friend.  
>"Hey Ness, do you want to sit down? There are some things you deserve to know…"<p>

* * *

><p>Nessa stared at Rose in shock. "Wow." She said, sitting back in her chair.<br>Rose smiled slightly. "Unbelievable I know."  
>Nessa shook her head. "No, no, not really. I had a feeling about you; I <em>knew <em>there was something different. Werewolf mobs and murder sprees weren't exactly what I had in mind, but I believe you." She said, shrugging.  
>Rose laughed for the first time in a week. "You are something else Nessa Collins." She said.<br>Nessa got up and hugged her friend. "Wanna go get ice-cream?" She said.  
>Rose stood back and looked at her friend. "You're not going to ask me if I want to talk about it?" She questioned.<br>Nessa rolled her eyes. "You'll talk when you'll talk. In the meantime, I'm craving cold desserts, so lets go."

* * *

><p>The woman at child services looked at Sherriff Stilinski in open admiration. "You're a good man Sherriff." She said, handing him the paperwork.<br>The Sherriff grabbed the papers and smiled at the woman. "Thanks Lucille, she's a good kid, I don't want to see her tossed around in the foster system. She's got friends here, and Stiles acts just like her big brother these days anyways, this is just the most logical decision for her." He explained.  
>The woman beamed. "Like I said Sherriff, you're a good man."<p>

* * *

><p><em>I'm sorry if some of you are disappointed with this chapter, it was really a matter of tying up loose ends this time. Don't be dispirited though, action is never far away in Beacon Hills! As always, feel free to review and let me know any theories, your reactions, or how you feel about the story so far. Thanks to all who reviewed the previous chapters, you're all absolute gems. <em>

_- Ivy_

_P.S If any of you are interested, I have created a Polyvore for some of the outfits in Bad Blood, as well as some extras so you can get a sense of the characters style. So far, I've only done Rose and Nessa, but if you're interested in others, PM me and I'll give it a try. Just click the link in my profile if you'd like to see. :)_


	13. A Furious Calm

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf, nor any of its characters.

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN  
>A Furious Calm<br>**

"_Girl you were born to wreck and ruin and destroy.  
>You are a cabinet full of wonders, stars and magic.<br>Girls like you play with knives, not dolls.  
>You have wildfire in your chest.<br>You cannot be tamed."  
>- bsa<em>

* * *

><p>The pack was assembled for a meeting, but nobody could really be bothered talking about anything significant, so everyone was lazily gathered around the loft living room doing next to nothing at all. Rain pelted down against the windows and every now and then there was a brief flash of lightning, with an ensuing clap of thunder. Inside however, it was warm and cozy and there was a general sense of family that was like a warm blanket on a cold winters night.<br>Rose lay on her back, with her head in Liam's lap, and closed her eyes contentedly. Liam ran his hands idly through her hair and they both absentmindedly watched some sort of romantic comedy on the laptop on the coffee table.

Scott smirked at them and looked at Stiles significantly. Stiles grinned and began whistling 'Can You Feel the Love Tonight' from the Lion King, waggling his eyebrows at Liam. Liam rolled his eyes and pulled a face at Stiles.  
>Scott smirked again, and turned to Rose. "So Rose, why didn't you just come to us straight away? I mean, isn't it sort of the done thing to approach an alpha of the area and let him know you're on his territory?" Scott questioned curiously.<br>Rose snorted, "Yeah, it is. But let me give you a scenario Scott: you're running away from one of the most influential werewolves in America, you settle into a town, and you smell werewolves _everywhere_; werewolves that could potentially be allies, or at the very least informants. Now, would you come forward to said wolves in that situation?" She questioned, her eyes still closed.  
>Scott frowned. "No." He admitted, slouching back into his chair.<br>"But you talked to Liam." Stiles pointed out.  
>Rose opened her eyes, sighed and lolled her head to the side to regard the two older boys.<br>"How do I explain this?" She mused, her eyes flicking up to Liam. He smiled at her. "It was like… Okay, it was like this: I'd been on the run for months by then, and life on the run is like walking through a pitch-black tunnel and your only light is this tiny little candle that occasionally blows out."  
>Stiles and Scott both nodded. "Okay…" Scott trailed off.<br>Rose nodded thoughtfully. "And then Liam was like… Electricity. He lit the tunnel up like you wouldn't believe. Suddenly everything was clearer, I could see where I was going and how to get there and… Yeah, I don't know. The point is, when you get that sort of clarity after an eternity of uncertainty, you're willing to run the risks." She explained, looking up at him and smiling.  
>Liam smiled down at her and gave her a quick kiss. She smiled. "Plus he's quite a good kisser." She added cheekily.<br>Stiles groaned. "No. That's enough, go back to quietly being in love again." He said, waving them away and gesturing at the laptop. Rose laughed and snuggled into Liam once more.

* * *

><p>Liam and Rose walked through the school doors together, hand in hand.<br>"Damn it." He muttered. "Hey can you do me a favour?" He questioned.  
>Rose looked up at him. "What is it?" She asked suspiciously.<br>"I left my kit in the car, can you bring it to practice today after school? I'd do it now but I have a meeting with coach in like, five minutes." He explained.  
>Rose shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose." She said.<br>Eyes followed the couple as they walked, and whispers flickered around them like flames in a hearth.  
>"Are they…"<br>"Surely not."  
>"Did you hear about her Mom?"<br>"The Stilinskis adopted her…"  
>"Did you see the fight?"<br>"No…"  
>"Here, I have the video."<br>The side of Rose's mouth quirked up as she heard about the video. "Here that Liam? There's video footage of you getting your ass handed to you from last Friday." She teased.  
>Liam rolled his eyes. "I distinctly remember giving you a concussion." He remarked.<br>Rose snorted. "Okay buddy, let's say it was a draw." She conceded.  
>Liam nodded "I'm happy with that."<br>Rose smirked. "Whatever helps you sleep at night." She murmured under her breath.  
>"Heard that. Werewolf. Super hearing." He reminded her, leaning against her neighbouring locker.<br>Rose rolled her eyes and spun her combination. Grabbing her books, she saw Tiffany in her peripheral; she was staring daggers at the pair of them. Smiling at Liam, she hugged her books to her chest and leant forward to whisper something in his ear. He listened and looked at her strangely, before kissing her goodbye and heading off to his own locker.  
>"What was that Rose Hunter?" Nessa said suddenly.<br>Rose jumped in shock and stared at Nessa incredulously. "I'm a supernatural creature of the night. How did you manage to sneak up on me?" She questioned.  
>Nessa smirked. "You were preoccupied with what looked like petty revenge." She commented, looking at Rose pointedly.<br>Rose shut her locked and walked down the hall with Nessa. "You call it petty revenge, I call it winning. Isn't it interesting how different people have different perspectives?" She said amusedly.  
>Nessa snorted. "Sure, sure." She disbelievingly as the bell rang.<br>Rose smiled and bid her friend farewell and she walked into homeroom.

Rose collapsed into her usual chair next to Mason and smiled at him. "Hey." She greeted.  
>Mason smiled at her. "So do I call you Mrs Dunbar now? Or…" He trailed off teasingly.<br>Rose rolled her eyes. "Hilarious, really, really funny Mason. You should go into comedy." She suggested.  
>Mason grinned. "Two of my best friends are mates, do you know how strange yet awesome that is?" He questioned.<br>Rose opened her mouth to answer when suddenly the door swung open and the school counsellor popped her head through the door. She smiled at the Mr. Green.  
>"Hi, can I just grab Rose Hunter please?" She asked.<br>The homeroom teacher shrugged and gestured for Rose to go with her. "Sure thing."

* * *

><p>Rose sat down in the well-worn chair of the counsellor's office and regarded her surroundings curiously. Diplomas, psychology textbooks, French novels, travel guides… The room was an interesting one, and somehow simultaneously revealed a lot and very little about the woman sitting behind the desk.<br>"So, Aurora. How are you doing?" Mrs Morrell began.  
>Rose sat up straight in her chair and raised a single eyebrow. "Aurora Lyall is missing." She replied evenly, looking at the woman coldly.<br>Mrs Morrell laughed. "That's interesting, because she appears to be sitting in my office." She said.  
>Rose crossed her arms across her chest. "So Deaton told you." She said.<br>Mrs Morrell nodded. "There's no need to worry though, I'm aware of your situation and don't have any intentions of informing anyone of your presence."  
>Rose visibly relaxed.<br>"But I still want to know how you're doing. Maree's death must have hit you pretty hard." She said.  
>Rose sighed. "It did, I was sad and upset for a few days, but I'm mostly okay now." She explained.<br>Mrs Morrell shifted in her seat and looked at Rose in surprise. "That's an unusually fast turnaround." She said.  
>Rose smiled. "I know. Most people don't have a driving force behind them though. I have something that's propelling me out of grief and into determination." She explained.<br>Mrs Morrell looked at Rose interestedly. "And what would that driving force be?" She questioned.  
>Rose smiled a cold smile and looked directly into Mrs Morrell's eyes. "I'm going to kill my brother." She said in a voice like ice.<p>

* * *

><p>Rose traipsed down to the lacrosse field and looked around for Liam. She had his kit slung around her shoulder and it knocked the back of her legs forcefully as she walked.<br>"Ow." She muttered in an annoyed tone. "You so owe me for this Dunbar." She said, pulling out a few pieces of hair that were stuck under the strap across her shoulder and were tugging painfully out of her skull.

Suddenly, an arm encircled around her waist and pulled her underneath the bleachers, the lacrosse kit fell to the ground with a loud thump and Rose smiled up at Liam.  
>"Hi there handsome." She greeted, circling her arms around his neck.<br>Liam grinned cheekily at her. "Hi there, thanks for bringing my kit." He said, tracing circles on her hips with his thumbs.  
>Rose smirked. "You're welcome… You owe me though. Want to repay me now?" She questioned.<br>Liam licked his lips and raised his eyebrows at her. "What were you thinking?" He asked teasingly.  
>Rose pretended to think for a moment, "Hmm… I'm not sure, maybe-"<br>Liam interrupted her mid-sentence by crashing his lips onto hers. Rose smiled into the kiss and pulled herself closer to him.  
>"Something like this?" He mumbled teasingly, nipping playfully at her bottom lip.<br>Rose giggled. "Yeah, something like this." She agreed, before meeting his lips with her again. Liam traced her bottom lip with his tongue and Rose smiled against his lips, but didn't open her mouth any wider.  
>Liam growled playfully. "Tease." He muttered, smiling.<br>Rose gave him a short kiss. "Have to earn it…" She trailed off suggestively.  
>Liam cocked an eyebrow up and breathed out slowly "Really…" He murmured, pushing her gently against one of the support beans. Rose tangled her hands in his hair and pulled his face to hers, Liam pulled her chin up towards him and kissed her fiercely. Rose moaned in appreciation and opened her mouth, allowing him entry. He kissed her insistently and Rose pulled his hair slightly harder as electricity shot down her spine.<br>"Don't you have practice?" She gasped, making no move to move away from him. Liam continued to kiss her for while before briefly breaking off, "They won't," he kissed her again and encircled an arm around her waist "Miss me." He finished, his lips red. Rose nodded and continued kissing him, biting gently down on him bottom lip.  
>"Ahem. That is incorrect." They heard a voice say matter-of-factly.<br>A chorus of laughs echoed around them and Rose and Liam reluctantly broke apart, looking out, they were met with the stares of the entire lacrosse team, with Scott and Stiles' arms both crossed across their chests as they frowned at the young wolves.  
>"You are indeed missed." Stiles continued.<p>

Rose leant against Liam's chest and he snaked his arms through her arms and hugged her from behind. Rose arched an eyebrow at one senior whose smirk was particularly pronounced. "Jealous, Miller?" She questioned lightly.  
>The senior soon wiped the smile of his face as the rest of the team, including Liam, roared in laughter.<br>A shrill whistle pierced the laughter and Rose groaned in recognition. "Alright, alright, show's over boys!" Coach yelled as he made his way over to the crowd of students, the team broke away from Liam and Rose and made their way over to practice. "Dunbar, get your ass on the field!" Coach commanded, looking at the couple accusingly.  
>Liam looked down at Rose and kissed her briefly before walking away towards the rest of the team.<br>"See you later!" He called.

Rose smiled as she walked away.

* * *

><p>"This. Is ridiculous." Derek stated.<br>"It doesn't make any sense." Kira muttered.  
>Stiles studied his board for what seemed to be the hundredth time and make an exasperated noise. "What the hell is he waiting for? Does he not know she's here? Rose? Where the hell is your brother?" He demanded.<br>Rose sighed. "I have no idea." She admitted. "There appears to be no reason why I haven't been kidnapped and tortured by now. Surely he knows I'm here."  
>"Maybe he knows you're part of a pack with a true alpha and is biding his time." Lydia suggested.<br>"Maybe he doesn't know you're here." Malia suggested.  
>The pack looked at her curiously. "Why would he not know she's here?" Stiles questioned.<br>"Well if someone killed my protector, the last thing I'd do is hang around and wait around to be killed myself. That's just dumb."  
>"Hey!" Liam interjected, but Rose gestured for him to be quiet.<br>"No, she's right. They probably think I've run away again. They're predicting my movements based on what I've done in the past. If it wasn't for you guys, there's no way I would have stuck around. Like Malia said, that's just dumb."  
>Malia nodded. "They think you're smarter than you actually are." She said.<br>Rose smiled. "No, they think I'm more predictable than what I really am. By doing exactly what they think I'm too dumb to do, I've outsmarted them." She explained.  
>Scott groaned. "You're starting to sound like Stiles." He pointed out.<br>Rose grinned. "Legally speaking, we're siblings now, so it would make sense." She said.  
>"The point is." Stiles interrupted. "It's all very well and good that Jeremy doesn't realise you've stayed in Beacon Hills for now, but what are we going to do when he finds out?" He questioned.<p>

* * *

><p>Rose and Stiles were sitting at the kitchen table frowning over circular functions question Rose had for homework when the Sherriff burst through the door brandishing a fistful of letters.<br>"Stiles, I thought I told you to give Derek back all of that money." He said in a threatening tone. "How did you even come up with that amount of money?" He demanded, slamming the bills down on the table.  
>"What? I don't know what you're talking about!" Stiles defended, leafing through the letters in shock. "Mortgage, electricity, water… Who paid for this?" He questioned incredulously.<br>Rose looked up from her homework. "I did." She said matter-of-factly, quickly returning to the question and biting her lip in concentration.  
>The two men looked at her in shock. "What?" The Sherriff said.<br>Rose looked up again, placed her pencil on her book and looked at them innocently. "I paid for everything." She explained, picking her pencil back up and jotting down a formula.  
>The two Stilinskis looked at each other, at a loss for words. "Rose." Stiles said.<br>Rose looked up from her book again and stared at them. "What?" She demanded.  
>"<em>How <em>did you pay for everything?" Stiles asked, struggling for patience.  
>Rose shrugged. "Easy, with all the money I siphoned from the Lyall accounts. Well, <em>I<em> didn't siphon it really, but I have this friend in Brooklyn who's incredible with computers and he worked with a girl I met when we went skiing in Switzerland and they collaborated together until..."  
>The Sherriff coughed. "Rose, we can't accept this, this is too much." He explained.<br>Rose frowned. "It's really not. Besides, I'm happy to help out; you guys are my family now anyway. You adopted me. I'd do anything for you both."  
>Stiles struggled for words. "Rose -"<br>"No listen." She interrupted. "It's my money and I'll do what I like with it; if that's paying off your debt, that's what I'll do. You guys are the first real kind of family I've had, ever really. I don't like seeing you struggle, you're good people and you certainly deserve to live comfortably far more than the fat cats who leech away at the Lyall family funds anyway."  
>The Sherriff ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "But Rose…"<br>Rose shook her head. "But nothing. Listen Sir, I respect you, hell, I even see you as a father figure, but this is non-negotiable. I'm sorry if it makes you uncomfortable, but it's something small that I wanted to do for you both, and besides, what do you want me to do? Call up the companies and ask to place you both in debt again? I'm not doing that." She said simply.  
>The Sherriff sighed. "Okay then." He said finally, seeing he wasn't going to win this one. "Who's up for pizza?" He questioned.<p>

* * *

><p><em>What is everyone thinking so far? Please feel free to review and let me know! Thanks as always to those who reviewed the previous chapter, you have my endless appreciation! Bless you, bless your family, bless your cow! Also huge thanks to my fabulous Beta Halo-Lucinda-Ivy, who is a literal Godsend. Tune in soon for another chapter, which shouldn't be too far away!<em>

_- Ivy _


	14. Hide and Seek

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf, nor any of its characters.

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN  
><strong>**Hide and Seek**

_Run and run and run and hide,_  
><em>From the monster just outside,<em>  
><em>You can try to fight and kill,<em>  
><em>He's lurking in the shadows still.<em>

_Fearsome, terrible, frightening, pride,_  
><em>Long ago, his mother died,<em>  
><em>Creeping, creeping, just outside,<em>  
><em>You can run, but you can't hide<em>

* * *

><p>Rose scrolled curiously down on the search page she'd pulled up. "There appears to be no definite lore on werewolf mates. Well, nothing we haven't already been told anyway." She remarked, looking back at Liam as he lay on her bed.<br>Liam looked up from his English novel and smirked at her. "You know what? That is a crying shame, it really it. Why don't you come here and we can have a hands-on learning experience on what it means to be mates?" He suggested, tossing his book to the side.  
>Rose threw her head back and laughed. "That is very temping Mr Dunbar but I'm trying to do research here. I want to know what we're dealing with." She said, tapping her computer screen and looking at him pointedly.<br>Liam rolled his eyes. "You've been hanging around Stiles too much, you're starting to _research _and _investigate. _I can tell you right now those things are highly overrated. Come here."  
>Rose laughed again and shook her head as she picked up her phone. "Hi, Derek? Do you have a bestiary lying around I could borrow?" She questioned, standing up and making her way to the bed.<br>"Okay cool, I'll be there in a minute, you can just leave it on the kitchen bench if you have to be somewhere to be. No? Okay brilliant, see you soon Derek." She said, hanging up the phone.  
>"I'll be back in a minute." She said, giving Liam a brief kiss. "And if you're really lucky, I may be open to considering a 'hands-on learning experience' when I get back." She whispered in his ear.<br>Liam grinned.  
>"But you have to finish that book, or the only thing I'll be interested in is the bestiary I'm getting from Derek." She advised, flouncing out the door.<br>Liam groaned and leant against the bed headboard, before sighing and picking up his novel.

* * *

><p>Rose was driving back from the loft when she realised she had spaced out and driven to her old house. In a flash, she remembered a conversation she'd had with Stiles the previous night.<p>

"_They're going to sweep the house tomorrow, so if you have anything suspect that's going to raise some eyebrows, and you do, I'd suggest you either go there yourself or get someone to clear all of that stuff out." He advised.  
>Rose sighed. "I'll do it, it'd be too hard to explain where everything is anyway." She said.<br>"All right then. Call me if you need any help." He said, wandering out of the living room and into the kitchen. _

Rose killed the car's engine and stared at the house contemplatively. Memories already searing through her mind.

_"What do you think sweetie?"_  
><em>Rose looked around the house thoughtfully. "I like it." She said finally.<em>  
><em>Maree smiled. "I'm glad, I have a good feeling about this place." She said, embracing Rose and kissing her briefly on the temple.<em>  
><em>"The great thing about these old houses is that they have so many nooks and crannies, look at this." The realtor said, pressing firmly down on a panel in the office….<em>

Rose climbed out of the car and slowly made her way up the steps.

_Rose pulled her earphones out of her phone and passed it to Liam; he quickly keyed in his number and sent himself a text from her phone. Handing it back, he smiled at her and walked away. "See you soon Rose!" He called, waving.  
>Rose laughed and climbed her porch steps, "Later Liam!"<br>Jogging up her steps, Rose burst into the house …_

Rose took a shaky breath and stood on the veranda, memories and sensations bursting through her minds eye. Hesitantly, she turned the doorknob and ducked under the police tape.

_"Hey Mom." She called tiredly, into the house. "I got into a fight at school. I don't know what happened, but I'm not healing and it's like my senses are dulled or something…" She continued, throwing her backpack into the corner.  
>"Mom?" She called, frowning slightly when Maree didn't reply. <em>

Rose turned left into the office and slowly opened up the drawer with their ID's hidden inside. Picking up the file, she leafed through the numerous identities.

_Charity pulled open the draw and grabbed their assorted I.D's "How do you feel about being Aimee Parkville?" She asked, looking up from one of Rose's fake birth certificates.__  
><em>_"They've found more bodies in Nevada with Bad Blood carved into them. The sheriffs office is on high alert because it looks like the next state they're going to hit is California." She confessed. "We have to leave now, the sooner the better…" _

Rose covered her mouth with her hand to stop the sob from escaping. "I'm so sorry." She whispered, shoving the file into her satchel and continuing into the kitchen. Opening the cupboard door, she flicked the switch and watched as the wall spun away and revealed the weapons locker. Rose grabbed three boxes of regular ammunition, a box of wolfsbane bullets, a few hand guns and a knives and shoved all of the weapons into her backpack.  
>"It'll do for now, I'll have to come back tomorrow with the proper cases." She muttered to herself. Slowly, she walked into the kitchen, and was hit with the scene of Maree's murder. The smell was overbearing, and Rose felt her lungs begin to tighten as images slammed into her minds eye.<p>

"_Mom? Oh my God…" She gasped as she saw Maree's body on the floor. "No!" She cried, stumbling backwards and covering her mouth in shock.  
>"No, no, no! Maree!" She yelled, kneeling down and crawling towards her body. "Oh my God, oh my God, no, no, no." She moaned as Maree slowly turned her head towards her.<br>"They're here, they're here." She whispered raggedly.  
>"Maree, keep talking to me, please don't die on me, please, please." Rose begged grabbing her hand.<br>Maree's head lolled back and her breathing turned even shallower.  
>"Get out." She whispered. <em>

_Rose screamed out as she realised Maree was dead. "I'M GOING TO KILL HIM." She shrieked. _

_Eventually, Rose stood up and shakily made her way to the office. Pressing down on the panel door, the bookcase slowly swung forward. Rose collapsed into the hidden room and stared blankly out the window. _

Rose stared at the kitchen before whispering, "I can't do this" and speed walking out of the house. When she reached the sidewalk, she turned around, bent over the bushes, and vomited into the garden.

* * *

><p>Rose walked through the front door and smiled at Malia, who was seated at the kitchen table and clearly struggling over some form of homework.<br>"Hey Malia, what's up?" She greeted, dropping her bag on the couch and making her way to the kitchen.  
>"French… The subjunctive mood, specifically." Malia muttered, chowing on her pencil absentmindedly.<br>Rose opened the fridge and drank some orange juice from the carton. "Do you want some help? I speak French." She offered, outing the carton back in the fridge and swinging it shut.  
>Malia sighed in frustration. "I didn't even speak English for most of my life, why did they think it was a good idea to put me in French?" She complained in a frustrated tone.<br>Rose laughed, picking up one of the numerous pens scattered on the table, she looked at the textbook and crossed out a section completely.  
>"Ignore this." She advised. "Trying to remember situations where the subjunctive is required is absolutely useless. Instead, just remember phrases. 'Il faut que', 'je pense que' all of that kind of stuff. It's a lot easier if you do that, trust me." She said simply, circling some of the phrases in the book. "Where's Stiles?" She questioned curiously.<br>"He had to go to the store or something, I wasn't really listening." She confessed.  
>Rose laughed. "I know how you feel, I tend to tune out as well." She said.<br>Malia smiled and began to write notes in her book.  
>"Hey Malia we should do something together, you, Kira, Lydia, Braeden and I. We should go out or something. Girls day." She said suddenly.<br>Malia frowned. "What did you have in mind?"  
>Rose bit her lip in thought, and smiled suddenly as an idea came to her. "Lydia is going to hate it." She said.<br>Malia smiled. "What?"  
>Rose grinned. "How do you feel about paintball?" She questioned.<p>

* * *

><p>Rose grinned as the four of them approached the front desk. The reactions from what appeared to be the regulars of the paintballing experience located just outside of Beacon Hills were priceless. Most of them were scrawny twelve year olds who looked as if they'd never laid eyes on a girl before, but there was also a group of older boys hanging around in the waiting area, already suited up. They were cute, and looked like football players from the next town.<br>"Lydia's going to be disappointed she missed this." Rose commented, eyeing the boys up and down.

Malia snorted.  
>Kira smiled at the guy behind the counter, "Could we have three sessions for four, please?" She queried kindly.<br>The guy smirked and gave Kira an obvious once-over. "Beginners?" He presumed, looking at the group condescendingly.  
>Braeden smiled at him and shook her head. "Advanced please." She said sweetly.<br>One of the football players scoffed from the corner of the room. "Are you sure you want to do that?" He questioned, nudging his buddies.  
>Malia cocked her head to the side and looked at him curiously. "Why would she say it if she wasn't sure?" She asked him, seemingly confused.<br>The guy smiled at her and shook his head. "We're playing advanced, and we don't want to have to go easy on our opponents."  
>Malia frowned. "Why would you go easy on us?" She enquired.<br>The guy let out a single laugh and looked at his friends. "Because you're girls. Girls can't play paintball." He explained, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.  
>Rose smiled and stood beside Malia. "Why would you think that?" She questioned.<br>The guy frowned in confusion and looked at his friends for help. "Because you're girls." He stated.  
>Rose looked at Malia. "Do you understand?" She asked.<br>Malia shook her head. "Not really." She confessed.  
>"Me either." Rose said, looking at the boy in confusion. "What are you basing this on?" She said.<br>"Um… We come here every weekend and we've never seen girls here." He said.  
>Rose began to nod. "I see… So just because you haven't seen something, it doesn't exist. Is that correct?"<br>One of the jocks friends, who was clearly a little more intelligent than his friend shot her an arrogant smile. "Of course, that's how life works. It's like in the justice system, very hard to prove something if there's no evidence." He pointed. "You'll learn that once you get to senior legal studies babe. What are you, a sophomore?" He questioned, looking her up and down.  
>Rose smiled sweetly. "Tell me <em>babe, <em>have you ever seen your brain?" She questioned.  
>The guy frowned. "No."<br>Rose smile grew even wider. "So are you telling me your brain doesn't exist?"  
>"That's ridiculous of course my brain exists."<br>"How do you know your brain exists if you haven't seen it? You're contradicting yourself. You just said if there's no evidence of something, it's very hard to prove. I remember you saying that just before." Rose said.  
>The guy sighed. "There are other forms of evidence other than sight." He pointed out.<br>Rose grinned. "Really? Because we've been talking now for a good three minutes and I haven't seen _any _evidence that points towards you having a brain." She said.  
>All of the guy's friends whooped in delight, as he stood there, speechless. Kira handed Rose her jumpsuit and gun. Rose took them and patted the guy on the shoulder.<br>"See you in there buddy." She said, before strolling off.

* * *

><p>"All right then." Braeden said. "Malia and I are going to act as snipers from this tower, we'll shoot down anyone who tries to get near you two, you're both going to run this route towards the flag. Kira, you're going to grab it. Rose, watch her back, once you're in that area there's not a lot Malia and I can do for you. We clear?" She demanded, brushing out the crude map of the course she'd draw in the dirt. Kira and Rose nodded as the siren rung out through the arena.<br>"Here we go." Kira muttered, picking up her gun and nodding at Rose.

Rose and Kira jogged through the trees, keeping a watchful eye out for the jocks.  
>"So how are you and Scott?" Rose questioned casually.<br>Kira smiled. "Good, so good. He's great. Duck." She said, shooting at someone who was lining up to shoot Rose.  
>Rose ducked down. "Thanks." She said.<br>Kira grinned. "No problem. What about you? How are you doing?" She said.  
>Rose shot at someone who was crouching in the bushes and grinned when she heard him groan in pain. "I'm okay. I'll be better once I kill my brother." She said.<br>Kira frowned. "About that."  
>Rose looked at Kira curiously. "What about it?"<br>"Are you sure killing Jeremy is going to solve the issue? I mean, aren't you a little worried you're getting too comfortable with the whole murder, crime, revenge, scenario?"  
>Rose sighed. "I agree with you. In a perfect world, Jeremy would go to jail and be rehabilitated and then I'd forgive him for the years of physical and psychological abuse." She said, shooting at someone. "But this isn't a perfect world, and even if Jeremy did go to jail, he wouldn't be able to be rehabilitated, because he's past that. He's a psychopath, worse, a powerful psychopath, so there's no other options." She said.<br>Kira sighed. "But why you? Why are you so focused on this idea of you killing him."  
>Rose shook her head. "Because it's my fault he's like this. I killed the kids mother, and he loved her like you wouldn't believe."<br>Kira shook her head. "It's not your fault." She said.  
>Rose shrugged. "Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. The point is; I was the one that pushed Jeremy over the edge. He's not a soulless, purely evil individual who is a sadistic bastard for the fun of it; he's a human being. At the end of the day, Jeremy is just a product of his environment. When you're raised in a masochistic household that tells you you're the greatest thing ever, and that you can do anything you want…. You'll believe it.<br>When someone kills your mother, a woman whom you love and adore; in front of you, you're going to end up anything but normal. Maybe if I hadn't have killed Janine, Jeremy would have just grown up to be an arrogant asshole, but I exposed him to a world of violence and hate and murder, and that set him off." Rose explained. She paused for a moment before continuing.

"I genuinely don't think Jeremy believes he's the bad guy in this situation, he just sees himself as a kid who loved his mom, trying his best to avenge her death. Technically, there's nothing evil about that. Unfortunately it's a lot more complicated than that. You ask why it has to be me that kills him, here's why: because I started it, so its my responsibility to end it." She said.  
>Kira stared at Rose wordlessly.<br>Rose smiled. "Go get the flag, I've got your back." She said.  
>Kira quickly hugged her, Rose stumbled back, taken aback by the sudden act of affection.<br>"You are so strong." Kira whispered, before running and grabbing the flag.

* * *

><p>The pack was assembled, as always, in Derek's loft. Everyone was gathered around in his or her usual spots and Rose smiled as she realised that for the first time in her life, she had a real family.<br>"All I'm saying, is next meeting we should have a movie night, and the movies are the Star Wars trilogy, because I am sick of not getting any credit for some of the outstanding references I'm able to make in everyday scenarios." Stiles argued.  
>Rose sighed. "I'm not watching it again Stiles." She warned. "Not in the space of a week anyway." She conceded.<br>Liam looked at her quizzically. "You've seen it?" He said, shocked.  
>Rose rolled her eyes. "Not voluntarily. Stiles told me I wasn't allowed to be a Stilinski until I'd watched the entire thing. So we did."<br>Liam snorted in amusement and Rose arched a single eyebrow. "Be careful who you laugh at, or I'll make you sit through it." She threatened playfully, leaning in to kiss him.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang as the door to the loft was kicked open. Rose jumped up and eyed the door cautiously. The rest of the pack had similarly jumped to their feet; some of them already crouched into defensive positions.  
>Mark walked through the door and regarded the pack curiously.<br>"Wow. This is the McCall Pack?" He said, looking at them all with a faint smile on his face.  
>Derek unsheathed his claws and his eyes flashed gold. "What are you doing here Mark?" He growled.<br>Mark smiled. "Derek! Long time no see buddy, how are you? How's the family? Despite the whole burning to the ground and Peter being a psychotic nutcase, I hear things are just swell. Is that the truth?" He queried, seemingly politely.  
>Scott growled and stepped forward to face Mark. "Derek asked you a question." He said.<br>Mark grinned. "You must be Scott McCall, delighted to make your acquaintance." He said. "I've heard you're a true alpha. Is that true? That's very impressive, but it would seem your reputation precedes you. I thought you'd be… I don't know, _bigger. _No offense, it's just the rumour is that you're this fearsome and powerful alpha, but you're just a kid. Are you even out of high school?" He queried.  
>Scott roared in Mark's face. "What. Do you want?" He repeated.<br>Mark sighed. "Isn't it obvious? I mean, lets address the elephant in the room here people. We want Aurora, you have her… So on and so forth, yada, yada, yada…" He said,  
>"Now we can do this the easy way, or the hard way." He taunted, sauntering around the room.<br>"You have five minutes to give us Aurora, if you do so, we'll walk away." He stated, picking up a vase from the kitchen counter and smashing it into the ground.  
>"If I'm completely honest with you, I'm kind of over killing folks, doing it repeatedly has sort of taken the fun out of it." He confessed, sticking his hands in his pockets and sauntering into the living room. Looking at Rose, he flashed her a feral smile and winked at her.<br>"My boys and I will be in the parking lot." He said. "Hope to see you soon Rory." He added, before waltzing out of the room.

Rose took one look at the pack. "Well he's still a dick." She muttered. Regarding the pack sympathetically, Rose picked up her backpack and swung it onto her shoulders. "I completely understand if you guys want to give me up. No one has won against these assholes and I don't want any of you to die tonight because of me." She said.  
>Lydia sighed. "Honey? Shut up. Derek? Get some rope. We need to tie her up." She said.<br>Rose nodded. "I understand." She muttered, smiling at Liam sadly.  
>"What?" Liam said indignantly. "Surely we're not…"<br>"Liam, be quiet." Lydia commanded. "I have a plan."  
>Rose frowned in confusion and then allowed herself a hopeful smile. "Really?" She said.<br>Stiles smiled. "You're part of the pack now Rose." He said, patting her on the back.  
>"And that means we protect you, no matter what." Scott said, catching the rope as Derek threw it at him.<br>"Now put your hands behind your back." He commanded.

Scott and Derek held both of her arms tightly as they marched her out to the car park, hands tied behind her back.  
>Mark smiled evenly and nodded at Scott. "Wise decision. A willingness to sacrifice is the mark of a great alpha Scott McCall, you should be proud of yourself." He said.<br>Scott gritted his teeth and didn't say a word. He and Derek pushed Rose towards Mark and quickly backed off.  
>Mark smiled down at Rose with a sadistic grin.<br>"Ready to go home Rory?" He teased, using the foul nickname he'd bequeathed to her in her childhood.  
>Rose smiled. "Mark?"<br>Mark smirked. "What?"  
>"I want you to do something for me." She whispered, leaning slightly forward.<br>Mark bent down to meet her. "What would that be?" He replied.  
>Rose leant slightly forward and whispered into his ear. "Go fuck yourself." She advised, before slipping out of the loosely tied rope that had been restricting her hands and pulling out the gun she'd hidden in the waistband of her jeans. Aiming it in the centre of Marks forehead, Rose smiled wickedly.<br>"That's the problem with you mercenary types." She commented casually, as Braeden shot down Mark's cronies one by one from the loft rooftop and Scott tied Mark's hands behind his back.  
>"No sense of… Gee what's the word? Scott?" She queried.<br>"Loyalty." Scott said.  
>Rose smiled. "Loyalty. That's it."<p>

Mark chuckled. "Some things never change, you always were a murderous bitch, Rory. Look what you did to your own Mother." He commented.  
>Rose sighed. "I know, it's terrible, but you know me Mark. As unpredictable as the weather, unfortunately you learnt that the hard way. So now, instead of living up to my murderous bitch stereotype, I'm going to let you live. Isn't that good news?" She exclaimed excitedly, grinning at him.<br>Mark said nothing in response.  
>Rose sighed. "Ugh, you're such a stick in the mud." She said.<br>Mark raised an eyebrow. "You're not keeping me alive in an act of mercy. What do you want Aurora?" He demanded.  
>Rose smiled. "Clever, clever man. I want you to deliver a message to my dear brother, Jeremy. Can you do that for me?" She questioned innocently, pressing the gun harder into his forehead.<br>Mark gritted him teeth and nodded.  
>Rose smiled. "Excellent. The message is this: Dear Jeremy, I am flattered you are so intimidated by me that you decided to send hired thugs instead of coming after me yourself; but you know what they say: 'if you want something done properly, you've got to do it yourself.'" Rose paused for a moment and frowned as if in thought, then continued. "I look forward to seeing you again Jeremy; I'm very different these days: I am wild, I am cunning, and I am your worst fucking nightmare. But most of all… <em>I am going to kill you." <em>She threatened lowly.  
>She then flashed Mark a brilliant grin. "Feel free to add a few x's and o's at the end if you're so inclined." She said, shrugging.<br>"Mark, as always, it was a pleasure. Run along now." She said, pushing him away with her gun. Mark slowly backed away, before turning his back on her and beginning to walk out of the car park.  
>"Oh and Mark?" Rose called.<br>Mark turned around and Rose shot him in the thigh.  
>"Don't call me Rory." She advised.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Well you know what they say, nothing lasts forever, especially peace! Please review and let me know what you think, I love reading everything! Thanks must go to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and <span>Halo-Lucinda-Ivy <span>for beta reading this chapter and really pushing me to make it my best! Stay tuned as always! Much more action to come soon._

_- Ivy _


	15. Lost and Found

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf, nor any of its characters.

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN  
><strong>**Lost and Found**

"_Then he pulled out a handgun and shot me in the chest. I was standing on the lawn and I fell. The bullet hole opened wide and my heart rolled out of my rib cage and down into a flowerbed. Blood gushed rhythmically from my open wound,__  
><em>_then from my eyes,__  
><em>_my ears,__  
><em>_my mouth.__  
><em>_It tasted like salt and failure."  
>- E. Lockhart<em>

* * *

><p>Rose lowered the gun and watched emotionlessly as Mark hobbled away. Turning her back to him, she unloaded the magazine from the gun and flicked the safety on. Looking up at the pack, she was met with a variety of shocked faces. She raised a single eyebrow.<p>

"What?" She demanded, unloading the bullets from the magazine and then putting the empty chamber back inside the firearm with casual familiarity.  
>Lydia cleared her throat. "Did you have to shoot him?" She questioned delicately.<br>Rose pretended to think about it for a moment. "Yes." She deadpanned, walking back in the direction of the loft.  
>The pack hurried to catch up with her. "Why?" Stiles asked, hurrying to walk beside her.<br>Rose sighed in annoyance and then turned to her brother. "It was just a regular bullet, everyone can calm down. I just did it to send a message." She explained, moving to walk again.  
>Scott grabbed her by the elbow and looked her dead in the eye. "And what would that message be?" He questioned.<br>Rose sighed. "Don't fuck with me, I'm not a scared little girl anymore, I know how to use a gun… Take your pick; the point is Jeremy will start to understand I'm not someone he should piss off." She said, shaking Scott's grip off and walking off.

The pack looked at her in frustration and then turned to Liam.  
>"Explain to her." Scott said.<br>Liam snorted, "Are you kidding me? She does what she wants, when she wants. I have absolutely no say in who Rose should and shouldn't shoot." He said.  
>Kira rolled her eyes. "Try." She suggested, shooing him in Rose's direction.<br>Liam rolled his eyes in response and walked towards his girlfriend.

Rose looked behind her shoulder and slowed slightly so Liam could catch up.  
>"I don't regret shooting him." She stated bluntly.<br>Liam shrugged. "I don't expect you to. The guy was an asshole, but have you ever thought about being the bigger person?" He suggested.  
>Rose blew a piece of hair off of her forehead in annoyance and eyed Liam off. "I <em>was<em> the bigger person. I didn't kill him."  
>Liam laughed. "I don't think normal people classify how nice they are by who they do and don't kill Rose." He said.<br>Rose snorted. "Define normal." She challenged. "Don't try and control me Liam, I've had that my whole life." She spat.  
>Liam sighed and grasped her by the shoulders. "Listen to me! I'm not trying to control you here Rose, I just want to have a discussion about this. You can't just keep going around killing people, it isn't right. I'm starting to worry about you, whenever someone even mentions Jeremy it's like you switch off and turn into this cold, vengeful killer. That's not who you are Rose, don't let him turn you into that." He said, looking at her pleadingly.<br>Rose looked at him and bit her lip. "Okay." She conceded.  
>Liam kissed the top of her head and smiled. "Good, this is good."<br>Rose smiled and nodded, but then appeared to think of something and smirked. "Admit it though." She said.  
>Liam quirked an eyebrow. "Admit what?"<br>Rose smirked. "I looked pretty hot with a gun in my hand."  
>Liam grinned. "So hot." He agreed, before pushing her against the wall and kissing her.<p>

* * *

><p>Rose was tapping away at her laptop from the kitchen table when Stiles burst through the door. Well accustomed to Stiles' undeliberate dramatic entrances by now, Rose didn't look up from the screen.<br>"Why are you in such a hurry?" She questioned in a bored tone, flipping to a page in her novel and typing in the quote.  
>Stiles threw off his shirt and grabbed a clean one from his pile of laundry Rose had stacked on the living room coffee table. "I'm going on a date." He muttered.<br>Rose raised a single eyebrow. "That's interesting." She said.  
>Stiles rolled his eyes. "You're interest is overwhelming me, please Rose, a man needs his privacy."<br>"Can I borrow the Jeep?" She questioned suddenly.  
>Stiles stopped for a moment and looked at her incredulously. "Did you not hear what I just said?" He demanded.<br>Rose looked up from her screen. "No, not really, I tend to switch to auto-pilot every now and then. Can I borrow the Jeep?" She questioned.  
>Stiles sighed in annoyance. "No. I need it. Where's Maree's car?" He said.<br>"The boys at the station took it to scan for evidence. So it's at the station car lot." Rose explained.  
>Stiles sighed again. "Why do you need a car?" He questioned.<br>"I need to go to the store." She said.  
>"Why do you need to go to the store?" He asked.<br>"I need to buy something." She countered.  
>"What do you need to buy?"<br>"Tampons." She stated bluntly, looking directly at him.  
>Stiles flushed beet red. "Um…"<br>Rose rolled her eyes at him. "There's no need to be embarrassed Stiles, you're not the one pre-empting shedding your internal organs." She said.  
>Stiles mussed up the hair on the back of his head and stared at her in silence.<br>"So can I have the car?" She asked.  
>Stiles sighed. "I'm going to be late." He said.<br>"So get them for me." She suggested, shrugging.  
>Stiles looked at her for a moment, weighing up his options. "Fine." He said. "What am I looking for?"<br>Rose smiled. "Blue box, says regular on the front. You'll know it when you see it." She said sweetly, returning to her essay.

* * *

><p>Stiles looked both ways before walking into the feminine hygiene section of the grocery store. He stared at the rows and rows of different options, overwhelmed by it all.<br>"Blue box, regular. Blue box, regular, Blue box, regular." He chanted, pacing up and down the aisle. Catching sight of the box, he snatched it off the shelf and walked straight into someone.  
>"Stiles?" A voice said incredulously.<br>Stiles looked up and sighed in exasperation. "Derek, awesome, what are you doing here?"  
>"I'm buying deodorant, the question is why are you buying tampons. Is it that time of the month?" He teased.<br>Stiles rolled his eyes. "Yes Derek, you caught me I'm – I don't know, surfing the crimson wave."  
>Derek scoffed. "Never say that again." He advised.<br>Stiles nodded. "I regretted it even before I said it." He admitted.  
>Derek smirked. "Why are you buying those?" He questioned.<br>Stiles shrugged. "Rose needs them."  
>Derek raised his eyebrows. "I forgot about that." He said, before his eyes widened in realisation. "I forgot about that." He repeated.<br>Stiles frowned. "Dude, are you okay?"  
>Derek pulled out his phone and quickly dialled Liam's number. "Keep Rose away from Liam until her period is over." He advised.<br>Stiles looked at him in confusion. "Why?"  
>Derek pulled the phone away from his ear for a moment. "Because she's going to be in heat, second cycle." He explained, before turning back to his phone. "Hi, Liam. Yeah, I have some bad news."<p>

* * *

><p>Rose opened Liam's bedroom door, stared at him furiously and slammed it as hard as she could.<br>"Hey." She stated furiously.  
>Liam looked up from his book. "Shit." He stated, looking at her nervously.<br>Rose laughed humourlessly. "That doesn't even scratch the surface buddy. What the hell do you think you've been doing for the past week?" She demanded, crossing her arms across her chest.  
>Liam bit his lip as Rose's cleavage became more pronounced due to her posture.<br>"Hey! Asshole! Eyes up here!" She yelled.  
>Liam looked at her helplessly. "You really shouldn't be here." He said, struggling with self-control.<br>Rose laughed. "Really? Well I'll leave as soon as you tell me why I've been getting the SILENT TREATMENT for a WEEK Liam James Dunbar!"  
>Liam sighed. "Derek told me to stay away from you for a couple of days." He said.<br>Rose rolled her eyes. "Since when are you so submissive to authority?" She said.  
>"Since I could… What the hell are you doing?" He said, as Rose stalked to the bed and straddled him.<br>She smiled coyly. "I missed you." She said simply, beginning to kiss his jawline.  
>Liam closed his eyes and wrested for control, but his hands moved automatically towards her hips.<br>Rose giggled and slowly leant against him, kissing down his neck.  
>Liam closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation, struggling to remember why he had even had qualms about Rose being there in the first place. Eventually, he regained his senses "Listen to me…" He trailed off, attempting to trap her in a kiss. She evaded him and continued to kiss him everywhere but his lips.<br>Rose giggled again, "You sure you still want me to leave?" She questioned innocently, nipping at his bottom lip.  
>Liam looked at her for a moment, captivated. "Ah, fuck it." He said, before pulling her closer to him and kissing her forcefully.<br>Rose kissed him fiercely, and quickly opened her mouth to accept him even further.

Liam's lips were soft and warm and inviting and Rose moaned appreciatively as he glided his tongue across her lips and tightened his grip on her waist. He smelled of cologne and home. Rose ran her hands through his hair and tugged gently on the roots as the kiss intensified.  
>"Shirt off." She muttered, removing her hands from his hair and tugging insistently on the hem of his t-shirt. He quickly removed it and Rose quickly ran her hands down his toned stomach, before gripping his shoulders and meeting his lips again.<br>"Uh, uh, uh." He teased. Rose sat back on her haunches and pouted at him.  
>"What?" She whined.<br>"Quid pro quo." He said, pulling her t-shirt up and leaving her in her bra. "You taught me that." He said.  
>She grinned and quickly kissed him again.<br>"I am an excellent teacher." She murmured, running her hands through the back of his hair and tilting her head to the side.

Liam grinned into the kiss and encircled his arms around her waist. She kissed him passionately and held onto him tightly, electricity and fireworks shooting through her system.  
>Suddenly, Rose's phone rang.<br>"Ignore that." He growled.  
>"Wouldn't have it any other way." She said breathily as Liam kissed down her neck.<br>The phone rang out and Rose soon grew tired of not having Liam's lips on her own, so she tilted his chin up and crashed her lips onto his once more. He smirked, "So impatient." He tutted.  
>Rose growled and bit playfully down on his lip, just as his phone rang. Liam groaned in frustration.<br>"These phones are really killing the mood." He muttered, pulling Rose down and then rolling over so he was on top. Rose hitched her knees up and grabbed his neck, pulling him down to her once more.  
>"Ignore it." She advised.<br>Suddenly Liam's phone rang again. Rose groaned and then let go of Liam. "Answer it." She said in defeat.  
>Liam looked murderous as he picked up the infernal device and answered the call.<br>"Hello Stiles." He greeted aggressively.  
>"LIAM I KNOW SHE'S THERE DON'T YOU DARE DO WHAT I KNOW YOU WANT TO DO!" Stiles roared into the phone.<br>Liam flushed a dark red, looked at Rose, as she lay temptingly shirtless on his bed.  
>"Why not?" He demanded, sitting against his headboard.<br>"She's in heat." Another voice explained, and Liam soon recognised Derek.  
>"So?" He asked, as Rose crept beside him and placed her head on his chest.<br>"So, if you two do the deed while she's in heat you'll, probably get her pregnant." Derek explained.  
>"I'll use protection." He stated.<br>Stiles sighed in frustration. "You'll also intensify the bond, are you sure you're ready for that? You'll be trapped with her, forever."  
>Liam played with Rose's hair. "That doesn't seem like such a bad thing." Liam stated, looking down at her.<br>"Trapped is such a negatively connotated word Stiles." Rose added, beginning to kiss Liam's neck.  
>"You are in SO MUCH trouble Rosamund Mackenzie, do not even get me started! How the hell did you sneak out of the house?" He demanded.<br>Rose sighed. "I'm a werewolf." She stated.  
>Stiles made a frustrated sound into the phone and Rose laughed.<br>"Look, you guys are sixteen, you have no idea what you want to do with your lives, or if you truly want to be together forever. Just wait it out until Rose's second cycle is over, then do whatever you want." Derek said.  
>"DO NOT DO ANYTHING YOU WANT!" Stiles yelled into the phone.<br>Rose sighed. "Fine." She conceded.  
>"Come home." Stiles commanded.<br>"No." She replied, before hanging up.

Looking at Liam disappointedly, she sighed. "Sorry." She muttered.  
>Liam smiled. "It's okay. Just give me a minute and then we can take a walk." He said.<br>Rose frowned. "Why do you? Oh." She said in realisation.  
>Liam grinned ruefully. "Your fault." He said.<br>Rose smiled. "I'll take it. Meet you outside." She said, pulling her top on and moving towards the door.  
>"Oh and Liam?" She said innocently.<br>"Yeah?"  
>"Ignore me again and I will shove your entire upper body so far up your ass, you will taste your oesophagus." She warned, before smiling sweetly and walking out the door.<p>

* * *

><p>"Can I taste your ice-cream?" Rose asked, looking at Liam pleadingly.<br>Liam frowned. "No." He said, moving his cone further away from her and taking a lick.  
>"Please?" She said, looking at him reproachfully.<br>"No." He replied.  
>"Pretty please?" She continued, grabbing his arm and dragging her feet.<br>"No."  
>"Pretty please with a cherry on top?" She begged, eyeing his choc-mint in longing.<br>"Well, now that you added the cherry…" He trailed off.  
>"Really?" She said excitedly.<br>"No." He responded.  
>Rose sighed in exasperation. "I'll give you a taste of mine." She bargained, waving her butterscotch in his face.<br>Liam smiled. "Good." He said.  
>Rose shoved the ice cream in his face and laughed hysterically as Liam wiped it off.<br>"Was it worth it?" He questioned.  
>"I strongly believe it was." She replied. "Do you know what movie I copied that move from?"<br>Liam looked at her in exasperation. "Should I?" He said.  
>Rose grinned. "No, because if I wasn't the first girl to force you to watch the Notebook, I'd have gone back, bought another cone and shoved it in your face." She replied promptly.<br>Liam rolled his eyes. "So listen." He began. "Prom is coming up…" He trailed off, looking at her expectantly.  
>"So I've seen and heard." She replied, smiling at him.<br>"Has anyone asked you yet?" He questioned, taking a hold of her hand and interlacing his fingers with hers.  
>"No. Apparently my boyfriend's a big lacrosse player with a lot a muscle and a history of anger issues. Everyone's been too scared to ask." She confided, poking his chest teasingly.<br>Liam raised his eyebrows. "Really? That's fascinating." He said.  
>Rose waited a moment then looked at him. "So are you going to ask me?" She said.<br>Liam laughed. "God no, I was just wondering if anyone else had." He said.  
>Rose elbowed his side. "Hilarious." She stated.<br>Liam looped his arm around her waist and kissed her temple. "I'm kidding, will you go to prom with me?" He said.  
>Rose bit her lip and smiled. "Yeah, yeah I will." She said, turning to kiss him.<p>

* * *

><p>Rose nestled into Liam's side and sighed in contentment. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and looked down at her.<br>"Hey Rose?" He said.  
>She looked up at him and smiled. "Hey yeah?"<br>Liam stared at her for a moment. "I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you." He stated.  
>Rose smiled. "I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you too Dunbar."<br>He smiled and kissed her briefly. "Goodnight Rose."  
>"G'night Liam." She said.<p>

* * *

><p>Rose awoke to someone painfully ripping her out of the bed and slamming their fist into her gut. She screamed out, but another man covered her mouth with his hand and shoved her into Liam's armchair. She struggled in vain as her assailants bound her arms around the armrests and feet around the legs of the chair, all while the hand remained firmly pressed on her mouth, preventing her from crying out or screaming. In the meantime, Liam had been similarly dragged from sleep, however he was being beaten to a pulp on his bedroom floor, and he moaned in pain as three men kicked him in the ribs. Rose closed her eyes in order to stop herself from watching his ordeal, but this only resulted in another punch into her stomach.<br>"You watch while we beat your little boyfriend up Rory." A voice growled in her ear. "Because this is only the beginning." He said, before releasing his hand from her mouth and gagging her.  
>"Keep those eyes open, or we'll cut him open right here in front of you." The voice threatened.<br>Rose's eyes widened as she realised who was speaking and he chuckled.  
>"Should've killed me when you had the chance Rory." Mark said, moving away from her and gesturing for his boys to pick Liam up. "Say goodbye to your boyfriend, you won't be seeing him for a while." Mark advised, dragging Liam up form the floor and forcing him to look at Rose before punching him in the head and rendering him unconscious.<br>"Oh and Rory? Jeremy says see you soon." Mark said, before walking out of the room.

* * *

><p><em>"Nothing lasts forever... But this is gonna take me down." - Taylor Swift, Wonderland. Which is basically the theme song for this fic.<br>_  
><em>Ooh, it's getting good now! I think some of you guessed this was going to happen, so props to you! Jeremy has indeed taken Liam and we shall see what comes of that! As always, feel free to review and comment on what you think! I appreciate it so much, thanks to artificial-paradises for reviewing the previous chapter, and just for reviewing in general, you're a star. Thanks as always to my beta Halo-Lucinda-Ivy! :) Stay tuned, more action to come!<em>

_- Ivy_


	16. A Time for Action

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf, nor any of its characters.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN  
>A Time for Action<p>

"_Real life's nasty. It's cruel. It doesn't care about heroes and happy endings and the way things should be. In real life, bad things happen. People die. Fights are lost. Evil often wins."_

- Darren Shan

Rose sat back in the chair and closed her eyes, attempting to calm herself amid the chaos of what had just happened.  
>'Breathe.' She instructed herself. 'You won't be able to help anyone if you're hysterical.' She thought.<br>Rose forced her tears back and slowed her breathing, before opening her eyes and looking down at her bonds. They were tight, and Rose could feel the rope biting painfully into her skin and her body trying to heal it simultaneously. It was not a pleasant sensation.  
>Rose then assessed the chair she was tied to; it was an antique, sturdily built, but wooden. Rose bit her lip and considered her options. She could struggle her way out of the ropes; it would be relatively harm free, but could potentially take hours. Her other option was to break the chair. That would be painful and destructive, but quick and she would always heal. Sighing, she made up her mind.<br>"Sorry Mrs Dunbar." She muttered, before tipping the chair forward, flipping through the air and landing painfully on her back with the chair shattered underneath her.

Groaning in pain, Rose stood up and ripped the ropes of her wrists and ankles.  
>"That was just as painful as I anticipated." She muttered, stretching and reaching for her phone. She quickly dialled Scott's number, he answered after two rings.<br>"Rose?" He questioned blearily. "What time is it?"  
>Rose glanced at the digital clock on Liam's bedside table. "It's three thirty AM. Scott, they've got Liam." She said urgently.<br>"What?"  
>Rose took a deep breath and struggled to keep the panic at bay. "They came in the middle of the night, they tied me up and they took him to Jeremy. Scott, I think they're going to kill him." She said, unshed tears burning in her eyes.<br>"Who came Rose?"  
>Rose took a deep breath. "Mark and his men. It's my fault Scott, I should've killed him. I was trying to be clever and now they have Liam. I'm so sorry." She sobbed.<br>"Rose! Calm down, can you get to Derek's?" He asked.  
>Rose glanced outside Liam's window. "I don't have my car, and I don't think running is a good idea, they could be waiting for me to bolt." She confessed.<br>Scott sighed. "Rose, you need to get out of there. You're not safe; I'll come and pick you up…"  
>"No wait." Rose said, eyeing off a motorbike in the neighbours driveway. "It's okay, don't come out. They could be waiting for that, I'll get to Derek's my own way." She said.<br>"Rose!" Scott yelled, but Rose had already hung up the phone.

Rose changed out of her pyjamas and slipped into her outfit from the day before. She then slipped open the window, climbed onto the sill and eyed the ground.  
>'It's not that far.' She thought to herself, recalling what one of her cheerleader friends had told her when she was Bonnie Cartwright.<p>

"_So my parents tried to stop me from seeing Connor the other day, so I snuck out, but then they put a lock on my door; so now I really can't see him." Annabelle complained.  
>Rose raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you shouldn't sneak out." She advised.<br>Lily snorted. "Don't be ridiculous Bonnie." She said, looking at her derisively. "And Annabelle? You're a cheerleader sweetie, you could easily jump out of your bedroom window." She said.  
>Annabelle's eyes widened. "But my room's on the second floor of the house!" She argued.<br>Lily rolled her eyes at her. "Jumping out of a second storey window is easy. Just jump feet first, bend your knees when you're about to hit the ground and somersault forward. Easy." She said, applying another layer of lip-gloss.  
>Annabelle frowned slightly. "That sounds like physics." She accused.<br>"It is physics." Rose added, looking at Lily curiously.  
>Lily looked at the two of them and arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "Don't get excited, I read it on a wikihow." She explained. <em>

Rose took a deep breath and jumped out of the window. The ground rushed towards her remarkably quickly and the next thing she knew, she was rolling forward. Standing up she took a deep breath.  
>"Okay, alright." She said, jogging towards the motorbike. Looking at the key in the ignition she shook her head. "You won't do that again, will you buddy?" She muttered, starting the bike and riding off.<p>

* * *

><p>Rose paced madly across the living room. She felt as if her heart had forced its way into her throat and was now refusing to budge, each beat making her sicker and sicker.<br>"What are we going to do?" She demanded at Scott.  
>Malia suddenly stood up from the couch and gripped Rose by the shoulders. She looked her in the eye, smiled and then embraced her. Rose stiffened in shock, but then wrapped her arms around Malia and hugged her fiercely.<br>"It's going to be okay. We'll get him back." Malia whispered, stroking her hair.  
>The pack stared at the two in shock. "Is she <em>hugging <em>Rose?" Kira whispered to Lydia in disbelief.  
>Lydia nodded. "Now <em>that <em>is progress." She muttered.  
>Scott coughed. "Rose. There is nothing we can do for Liam right now. We have no idea where Jeremy is, or where he's taken Liam. The best thing we can do for him right now is go to sleep and work out a plan tomorrow. " He said.<br>Rose looked up at him and nodded. "Okay." She muttered.

* * *

><p>The pack assembled in Derek's living room and stared at Scott in expectation.<br>"What now?" Rose demanded.  
>Scott sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know." He admitted. "Where do you think Jeremy could have taken him?" He said, looking at Rose inquisitively.<br>Rose looked at him in disbelief. "You're kidding me right? We have houses, apartments, warehouses, farms… Every conceivable type of property you could possibly own, we do. In every major city, minor town, uninhabited wood. It's impossible to know where he could of taken him." Rose said in bleak realisation, beginning to hyperventilate.  
>Stiles rushed to her side and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Hey, hey, hey, listen to me!" He demanded, shaking her roughly. "We're gonna find him. I promise you." He said, shaking her again for emphasis.<br>Rose took a deep breath and nodded.  
>"Okay." She murmured, taking a deep breath.<p>

Suddenly, Rose's phone beeped and a video message appeared on the screen. Frowning, Rose opened the message.

Liam appeared on the screen. He was chained to a wall and looked blearily into the camera. He looked terrible, his face was swollen and bruised and his lip was bleeding profusely. Rose gasped in shock and her hand covered her mouth in horror.  
>Mark appeared on the screen and grinned. "Hey there Rory, I've just got your boyfriend here. Say hi Liam!"<br>Liam said nothing in response; he appeared to have either fallen unconscious or unable to respond due to his injuries.  
>Mark sighed impatiently. "Don't you just hate it when guests aren't forthcoming? DUNBAR! WAKEY, WAKEY, ROSIE WANTS TO TALK TO YOU!" He roared.<br>Liam groaned. "Rose." He rasped. "Help me."  
>Rose took in a ragged breath as Mark reappeared. "I just thought I'd let you know how the torture is coming along." He said cheerfully. "We haven't quite made it to sleep deprivation yet, we haven't been friends long enough for that have we Liam?" He queried. "However I am pleased to report that Liam here has responded wonderfully to a new drug your brother has been developing. It's a hallucinogenic form of wolfsbane that he's mixed with some form of panic inducer, and damn has that been fun!" He cheered. "Liam has been screaming for hours on end! We've teamed the drug up with some concentrated electric shots, some bright lights, regular beatings, and we have a big program in store for today; I can hardly wait, the anticipation is killing me Rory it really is. I mean, it'll kill Liam first, but that's unavoidable at this point." He said cheerfully.<br>Rose let out a single sob.  
>"Anyway, we have to go now. We have a big day and all… You know how it is." he said knowingly, winking into the camera. "Say goodbye now Liam!" He called behind his shoulder. Liam groaned in response and Rose's screen went blank.<p>

An eerie silence filled the room, everyone was simultaneously horrified and in need of comfort, but also overcome with the need _to _comfort. It was Rose who broke the silence.  
>"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my…" She repeated maniacally, unable or unwilling to believe what she had just seen.<br>And just like that, everyone was pulled into action, like marionettes that had finally had their strings taken up by an unseen puppeteer. Stiles moved immediately to comfort Rose, his wiry arms tightly embracing her tense frame. "It's fine, it's fine, it's fine." He repeated in comfort, stroking her hair soothingly and holding back his own tears for her sake.  
>Rose began to cry. It was an ugly and broken sound, quite unlike anything any member of the pack had heard from her before. Tears fell indiscriminately down her cheeks and splashed wetly onto Stiles' shirt, and Rose's fierce features were now mottled and red from crying. He felt as all of her muscles gave up and she leant against him for all of her support. He felt Rose give up in his arms and realised that these were the sounds and sights of utter despair.<p>

The rest of the pack looked on in helpless uselessness, unsure and unable to comfort the poor girl in the dark hour.

Suddenly, she stopped. Rose jerked up into her usual posture and wiped her eyes of their tears. Taking a deep breath, she surveyed the room.  
>"I'm sorry." She said to the pack. "Now is not the time for emotion." She said.<br>Taking Derek's laptop from the table, and tapped into the desktop and opened up his browser.  
>The pack stared at her in collective astonishment, but then sprung into action around her.<br>"Lydia? Get the other computer, I'm going to need your help for this." Rose commanded, typing at an incredible rate.  
>"What are we doing?" She questioned, taking a seat opposite Rose.<br>"I'm going to drain all of my brother's accounts, if he wants to make life difficult for me, I can ensure it's just as difficult for him. I'm also going to leak some information regarding some of the more unscrupulous methods he's acquired wealth for the family over the past few years – tax evasion, dealings with individuals with questionable moral compasses, laundering... Etcetera. I'm going to ruin him publically and ensure he doesn't have any money to wheedle his way out of it." She explained ruthlessly.  
>"Won't they just hurt Liam more?" Malia questioned.<br>Rose sighed and stopped what she was doing momentarily. "I can't afford to think like that right now. Logically, they can't kill Liam; they need him as a bargaining chip. They'll torture his, yes; but they're going to do that until I show up anyway."  
>"Rose…" Stiles interrupted.<br>"Stiles, this is our only option. Lydia? I'm sending you the passwords to catalyse the info drop, are you going to know what to do with them?" She demanded.  
>Lydia nodded.<br>Rose gave a curt nod in response. "Excellent. I've started mine; let me know when yours are complete… Although I'm sure that we'll receive a call from Jeremy when that happens anyway." She said.  
>"Why didn't you do this sooner?" Kira questioned. "This is the kind of smoking gun that could have kept you safe."<br>Rose sighed. "Except it wouldn't have, this was all designed as a last resort measure. It blows wide open all of my identities, my location, all of that. It was never worth the risk."  
>"Even when people were dying because of you?" Lydia countered.<br>"I never asked for any of that." Rose stated.  
>"No, but it happened anyway." Kira replied.<br>"And now I have to live with it." Rose said bluntly. "I can't go back and release this now. Should I have? Probably, but I didn't because I was scared, and selfish, and naïve, are you happy now?"  
>The room was silent momentarily.<br>"Good. Now, everything's in motion we just have to wait."  
>Derek frowned. "For what?"<br>Rose sat back in her chair and watched her computer screen intently. "For my brother to take the bait."

* * *

><p>Jeremy watched, slack-jawed as the numbers in his bank account dwindled before his eyes.<br>"That bitch." He muttered in disbelief. "How did she even? Oh my God."  
>Mark stepped forward. "Sir? Would you like us to call the police?"<br>Jeremy swung around to face his right hand man and sneered. "Call the police? And say what? My sister who's missing is draining my bank accounts? I don't think so."  
>The door opened and Scarlett stepped into office. "You couldn't call the authorities anyway." She stated, elegantly taking a seat opposite Jeremy's desk.<br>Jeremy raised a single eyebrow. "And why is that?" He countered.  
>Scarlett threw a file onto the desk and watched dispassionately as it slid across the wood until coming to a direct stop in front of her brother. "That file is full of breaking-news stories from the past hour, they all detail the way in which you've embezzled, laundered, evaded taxes, had dealings with several corrupt government officials… There's more but you get the idea. If Rose hadn't drained the accounts, they'd be frozen within the next hour anyway." She said.<br>"How did she do this?" He demanded. "Who helped her?"  
>Scarlett shrugged. "It doesn't matter either way Jeremy – you're finished."<br>Jeremy stood up abruptly, and then violently swept everything from his desk onto the ground. "You! You helped her! This is your fault."  
>Scarlett looked him in the eyes coldly, and didn't even flinch as he slammed his fist into the desk.<br>"I did no such thing, and the only reason you're agitated is because you made the stupid mistake of underestimating your little sister who, in case you forgot – broke free of custom designed chains on her first turning and murdered our mother, topped her class every year, and now has a true mate to improve upon all of that. You're an idiot Jeremy, and there's literally nothing I can do to help you. Now, here's Rose's IP address, it was made vulnerable when she released all of that info – call her, strong arm her, and get this under control before we have even more to worry about." She ordered, standing up and leaving the room.

* * *

><p>Rose awoke suddenly to the sound of her laptop cheerily indicating a Skype call.<br>"Here it is." She called, alerting the pack and nodding quickly to Lydia. Lydia speedily fired up her laptop and shot Rose a terse smile, indicating she was ready. Accepting the call, Rose sat back in her chain and smiled at her brother.  
>"Hello Jeremy." She said calmly, looking directly into his eyes.<br>Jeremy smiled predatorily and held up a file. "Nice work sis, I never saw it coming."  
>Rose raised a single eyebrow. "That was the idea, it would ruin all the fun if you had." She countered.<br>Jeremy laughed, and the sound pierced her soul like ice. "Here's the thing Aurora, you've become a liability – more than that, a threat to the family's very existence; so you need to be eliminated." He explained.  
>Rose mirrored his predator's smile and tilted her head to the side. "What are you going to do Jeremy? Send in your meat suits for me to shoot at again? Or better, come and get me when I'm sleeping so I have no real chance to fight back? Kill other people and rely on my empathy? You really don't know me at all – do you?" She questioned.<br>Jeremy's smiled dropped. "Listen here you worthless piece of filth."  
>Rose raised an eyebrow. "Temper, temper, temper Jeremy! What was it Janine used to say? Oh… I can't seem to remember, all my memories of her speaking are overpowered by the disgusting gurgling sound she made when I ripped her throat open that night, do you remember that Jeremy? I bet you do." She stated savagely.<br>Jeremy's eyes turned blood red and he growled menacingly. Rose eyes flickered upwards and Lydia nodded at her.  
>"Better find your boyfriend quick Aurora, he hasn't got much time left." Jeremy yelled.<br>Rose smirked. "Are you afraid of me Jeremy?" She questioned.  
>Jeremy frowned. "Of course not."<br>Rose bared her teeth. "You should be. Everyone's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf." She said, before snarling into the camera and terminating the connection, slamming her laptop shut.  
>Lydia tapped a few more keys and then looked up.<br>"We got him."

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><p><em>I am so sorry it took so long to update! Please enjoy this chapter!<em>


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